Happy Holidays
by ninag95
Summary: A series of related fluffy one shots revolving Soma x Erina in different seasons/holidays! Hope you enjoy!
1. Summer

Summer had come and gone in an instant, and it was full of relaxation and reflection for Erina Nakiri. She had spent the entire break traveling alone. With no headmistress duties, no Elite Ten to oversee, and no drama with her father, she finally had the time she desperately needed to focus on herself.

As she roamed from country to country trying new foods and battling with the locals, she was surprised to realize how much she actually missed her friends. How much she missed _him_ \- the transfer student who had promised to make her say his food was delicious at the beginning of their first year. As much as she hated to admit it, she couldn't find talent like his anywhere she went. It was **infuriating**.

Ever since the fight between the rebels and Central a few months ago, the ice in her heart had started to melt. Erina had to face the fact that Soma had saved her from her father, and he really was one of the most talented chefs at their school. He had fully earned the right to the first seat on the Elite Ten. Of course, she hadn't admitted this to him yet. She probably never would.

Erina had also noticed the odd butterfly sensation in her stomach every time she saw the boy after they defeated Central. It was like a switch had flipped in her brain, and now that she was free from the looming threat of her father, she was finally able to think for herself. Her brain apparently decided to suffer from some sort of aneurysm, as she now found Soma kind of attractive? It was so confusing and repulsive that she hadn't even said goodbye when the second term ended, and she hopped on her private jet and decided to take a spontaneous trip for a few days, which turned into weeks.

Erina had just been picked up from the airport. The flight back from Germany had been obscenely long and she was ready to take a hot bath and pass out until the next day. As they drove home, she stared out the window and let her thoughts wander again. Back to him, as they had all summer.

She didn't understand the confusing feelings she felt every time she pictured his annoying cackling or his constant begging to try his food. During the school year she had found him incredibly annoying, so why was she constantly comparing other people to him? Not just in cooking ability, but in personality! Perhaps it was because he acted so casually around her, unlike the rest of the cooking world. Perhaps it was because he had helped her defeat her father.

She had done her best to meet new people over the summer, even boys, but every conversation was lacking. They were never as fun as the ones she had shared on those late nights looking at the stars with Soma.

The car was now pulling up to her mansion. _Home sweet home,_ she thought happily. The driver helped her with her luggage and she sluggishly made her way through the lavish halls to her room. One of her maids had already anticipated her needs and prepared her bath, much to Erina's contentment.

After her quick but much-needed soak, she changed into pajamas and climbed into bed, even though it was 4 in the afternoon. Now that they weren't enemies, what were they? Certainly not friends, and yet, she felt like he knew her better than most people. At least she had a few more days until school started to figure it out.

* * *

The next morning, an extremely jet lagged Erina made her way downstairs, only to run into Alice. "Erina!" Alice cried, throwing her arms over her cousin, "I missed you so much! How could you leave without saying goodbye! I had to find out from Hishoko!"

Erina did feel guilty over this; the only people she had given even the slightest heads up about her plans were Hisako and her grandfather. "I'm sorry, I just needed a break. It was all so sudden, I didn't have time to tell anyone." Erina hugged her back. "But I'm here now!"

Alice's pout turned into a smile as she cheered. "Perfect timing too. We were planning a little beach trip since it's the end of summer. Are you in?"

Erina groaned internally. She was so tired! But looking at Alice's expectant face and her own guilt over abandoning her cousin made it harder to say no. "I suppose…who is 'we'?"

* * *

"We" was the majority of the Tōtsuki, apparently. The Back-to-School Beach Bash was in full swing. The music was lively, the food was delicious, the sun was hot, and the water was cool. It was the perfect way to welcome back the second term after such an eventful vacation.

Erina and Alice passed by their swimsuit-clad classmates and waved hellos to the stunned faces. No one had expected the ice princess to come to this, as they had all heard she had been traveling all summer. Granted, they all heard different versions of the truth.

"I heard she opened up her own restaurant in New York!"

"No, I heard she was in Dubai with the prince! They're getting married!"

Rumors continued to swirl as the students spotted her, and Alice smirked, "My my, it appears everyone knows what you did this summer."

Erina rolled her eyes, "Yes, it seems I was very busy. Didn't you hear? I killed a crocodile with my bare hands and served it to a whole village."

Alice giggled, "Are you going to set the record straight?"

Erina's smile could have frozen the whole ocean as she said coolly, "No. I like keeping them guessing. They fear me more this way." And fear her they did. Everyone except-

"Oi, Nakiri!"

Erina's heart lurched as she saw Soma's familiar flaming red hair coming towards her. _It's longer now_ , she noted. She had forgotten how cute he was, and she hated it. It was shocking to see him in his swimsuit, and Erina blushed as she noticed he was quite well-built. His bright grin could have rivaled the sun as he clapped a hand on her shoulder in greeting. "Where have you been?! You've missed all the action around here!"

 _Why is this peasant so comfortable around me?!_ She threw his arm off her shoulder but couldn't help returning his smile. "You know, just traveling here and there. Lots of exploring and trying new dishes you'd never see outside of Japan." Soma looked like a kid in a candy store as Erina described all the foreign ingredients she'd become familiar with while studying the local cuisines.

"Wow, that sounds amazing! You've gotta show me later so I can practice!" Soma encouraged her, obviously impressed with her summer travels. "I'll bet you're happy to be home though."

Erina nodded, "It does feel amazing to sleep in my own bed. And I guess I missed the people here," she mumbled as an afterthought.

Soma laughed, "Why is it so hard for you to admit you missed your friends? Although for someone who says that, you didn't care enough to keep in touch!" He stuck out his tongue jokingly and she snapped back, "Well, I never received anything from you guys either!"

It had been radio-silence since she had left, and she had begun to feel like her friends had forgotten about her. She even believed they had been mad at her for leaving so suddenly without warning.

Soma gave her a confused look, "That's impossible. We all texted multiple times. Let me see your phone?" He played around with the settings after she reluctantly handed it to him and he chuckled, "Nakiri, you're still on airplane mode." _Oh._

As soon as she had gotten on the plane at the beginning of the trip, she had turned off data roaming as she didn't know which countries her plan worked in. Hisako usually prepared the logistical things for her and she was too embarrassed to ask! She should have gotten messages as soon as she came back to Japan, but as Soma had pointed out, she'd never taken her phone off airplane mode.

Sure enough, dozens of messages from over the summer poured in as soon as she switched the setting. Messages from Alice complaining that she'd left without her, messages from Hisako warning her not to do anything dangerous or go anywhere with strangers, messages from the Polar Star Dorm teens wishing her well on her travels. There were at least 10 messages from Soma as he had said, mainly sending her photos of his cooking with captions like "Don't you wish you were here instead?!" and "I'll save you some for when you get back!"

Erina laughed as his texts continued to pour in and Soma smiled back as he watched her read. "See, we all missed you!"

She read the final text that popped up from him about going to see a movie. "What movie were you talking about?" She was caught off guard by this, since they almost never talked about anything that wasn't school or cooking related.

"Oh, all the girls went to see some chick-flick and I thought you'd want to watch it."

Erina blushed, _Like a date?_ "With you?" She asked nervously, and Soma let out (in her opinion) an unnecessarily long laugh.

"No! Definitely not, I could never watch that. I just felt like you should be kept up to date!" He smiled cheerfully and Erina glared.

The idea of watching a movie with her was that fucking hysterical? She recovered from the embarrassment and thanked him for the update, a little too sarcastically.

He added offhandedly, "Oh, but I did make us reservations at that new restaurant downtown," and Erina's jaw dropped.

"You did what?"

Soma continued, "Yeah, I thought we could check it out since it's supposed to be the hottest new place in town! Then we can pick our favorite dishes and recreate them and see whose is better!" He grinned challengingly, and before Erina could protest, he said, "Well, I gotta go help Takumi with the grilling! It was great seeing you, let's keep catching up later!" He bounced off towards the other side of the beach, leaving Erina speechless.

After a few moments of wandering alone, Erina had finally met up with the rest of her friends. She instantly ran towards Hisako when she saw her and embraced her in a hug, truly missing this girl more than anyone else. Hisako was like her sister and it had felt wrong to go anywhere without her. After catching up with her, Erina chatted with the rest of her former dormmates about their respective breaks. She really was having a great time, and she silently thanked Alice for inviting her.

Hours passed, and the sun began to set, but that didn't mean the party was stopping yet. Suddenly, unfamiliar faces showed up in the crowd. A few guys from other schools had seen how fun their beach bash had looked and they'd wanted to join. "Of course," everyone had said, "The more the merrier!"

But soon, the strangers began circling the girls predatorily. "Hey baby, what's your name?" One of the men asked Erina, as his friend approached Alice. Erina scowled terrifyingly, which normally would have worked on anyone who knew her influence or identity, but it didn't have the same effect on strangers. If anything, this only seemed to motivate them.

"Ooh, she's feisty! I like that in a woman. Why don't you come back to our side of the beach and we'll show you what a real party looks like?" The stranger stretched out his hand in offering and Erina and Alice both crossed their arms over their chests in disgust.

"Why don't you go crawl back into the hole you came out of?" Erina retorted mockingly, and she and her cousin turned to walk away but strong hands caught their wrists.

"What did you just say?" The once-charming voice turned poisonous, and Erina felt her pulse racing beneath his grip. At once, Ryo appeared by Alice's side. "Let go of them." His usual bored tone was laced with something deadly as he stared down the man who held Alice's wrist. After a few moments of indecision, the stranger let go and muttered to his friend that they should leave. The other man was not as easily discouraged however.

"Alright buddy, you can have her. I get this one." He motioned towards Erina. "Don't be selfish, you can't have more than one. Sharing is caring." He gave them a chilling smile and Erina felt nauseous.

All of a sudden, they heard shouting on the other side of the party. Soma stood between three other men and Ryoko, Yuki, and Megumi. The men, obviously enraged this kid had stopped them from hitting on these girls, were shouting at an expressionless Soma.

The entire beach had gone silent as they watched the scene play out. Soma waited until they finished shouting, and calmly stated, "We let you hang out here because we thought you were cool, but you're scaring the girls. You guys need to leave."

The men immediately started laughing, asking how Soma alone was going to force the three of them to leave. Akira Hayama walked up next to Soma. He towered over the intruders and warned, "He's not alone." His green eyes pierced theirs and they gulped. Takumi approached as well with a fierce expression on his face. It was now three against two. Ryo took the opportunity to push the men back towards their friends, growling the whole time.

"You can't just make us leave, this is a public beach!" One of the guys stated defiantly, not wanting to admit defeat just yet.

"Then how about we fight for it?" Soma's eyes gleamed with hunger; he hadn't challenged anyone all summer since everyone had been gone. He was itching to get a good fight in. The men responded threateningly, "Bring it!"

Soma immediately turned to the grill and began firing it up, while the rest of the Tōtsuki team prepared their ingredients. The intruders glanced around at each other in confusion.

"Uh, what are you guys doing?"

Soma turned towards them, "We're getting ready for the Shokugeki!"

The other team just gave him a dumbfounded look, and Soma finally remembered not everyone was a master chef at a world-class cooking school. "Oh…right. What else is there to even challenge someone in?"

He looked around at his team and they all shrugged, looking a little lost as they stopped prepping their ingredients. One of the strangers stepped forward and put his fists up, ready to engage in an actual fight.

"Step back, this isn't Karate Kid," Ryo instructed emotionlessly. He was no longer as interested now that this wasn't a cooking battle.

Soma glanced around for a net of some sort to play volleyball, but this beach didn't have one. "Does anyone have anything we can use to challenge these guys?" He asked, laughing at how pathetic this fight had become. A kid in the back of the crowd held up his soccer ball he had brought and tossed it over to Soma. "Soccer?" He asked the teams, and they both nodded in acceptance.

"Shit, we need a fifth. Who knows how to play soccer?" Soma asked his peers, and Satoshi Isshiki volunteered enthusiastically. "Of course, I'll help defend my juniors!" He jogged up to the rest of them, and despite most of the guys' objections, refused to change out of his speedo.

The crowd helped move the beach chairs and towels to set up the makeshift field. Unopened umbrellas were pushed in the ground on opposite ends of the beach, serving as the goal posts. "First team to score ten points wins. Loser leaves the beach." Soma declared with finality.

As the boys started playing, all the girls couldn't help but swoon at how romantic it was. They were defending the girls' honor! Even Erina felt caught up in the drama as she frantically watched the ball pass between the boys, gasping with everyone whenever the opposing team stole the ball or cheering when her team took it back. The other team was playing dirty, taking any opportunity to knock their opponents down savagely. **Bam!** Soma was forced to the ground as the man who had harassed Erina body checked him and stole the ball.

Soma's teammates were obviously stunned, and the man took the opportunity to quickly run past and score! The crowd booed loudly and yelled at the obvious foul play. Megumi covered her eyes and buried her face in Yuki's shoulder, unable to look anymore. Erina growled and prepared to march onto the field to give that man a piece of her mind but Alice physically held her back. Soma rose to his feet and indicated he was fine and ready to keep playing.

They continued stealing and passing, as the nerves from the audience grew steadily. The score was 5-2 in the other team's favor. "Time out!" Ryo called, and the boys huddled up. "We're gonna have to start playing dirty like they are if we want to beat them. It's the only way," he stated emphatically.

Satoshi shook his head, "We can't stoop to their level. Just because that's the way they want to win, doesn't mean we need to resort to those underhanded tactics. We're the better team; we just need to show them that!"

From the sides of the field, nobody could hear what the boys were discussing. All Erina could see was how discouraged they looked.

Suddenly, Soma's head abruptly popped up and he began searching the crowd. She watched as his eyes drifted over the crowd until they finally froze on hers. He stared for a long time, and Erina somehow inherently knew what he was thinking. He needed motivation, and for some reason, she was the only one who was able to provide that. Her face held a vicious expression and she flipped her hair over her shoulder, as if to say, _Don't embarrass me by losing!_ The nervousness on his face was replaced by determination as he smiled back cockily, _I promise not to!_ and lowered his face back down into the group huddle.

Soma refocused his efforts on his team and said, "Listen guys, we're faster than them, and we should play to our strengths." A few more seconds of inaudible whispering came from the huddle before the crowd heard them revving up to start playing again.

The second half of the game went by much better, as the Tōtsuki team managed to avoid being slammed to the ground by passing the ball much more frequently. The other team had no idea where to go or who to attack, since the ball was constantly being kicked in the opposite direction. Ryo and Akira played excellent offense, scoring goal after goal, while Soma and Takumi played strong defense. Satoshi even managed to block a few attempts, diving dramatically when necessary as his tiny speedo left him unhindered.

The crowd screamed and jumped whenever a near goal occurred and Erina could feel her heart race faster as both scores grew closer to 10. It was 9-8, in favor of Tōtsuki. The boys were dripping with sweat, exhausted from the hot sun and running up and down the beach. Yuki, Ryoko and Megumi cheered loudly for their friends and soon, others joined in. A steady chant began and the boys seemed to draw strength from the crowd. One more point was all they needed. They took off again and the ball was mercilessly kicked in every direction; Ryo and Akira did their best to take the fight to the other side of the field, but the opposing team was relentless. They wanted to win.

Soma suddenly stole the ball mid-pass and quickly scanned the beach to see who was open, but no one was! Akira and Ryo were both being blocked and elbowed ferociously, and Takumi was too far back. Soma took a chance and started sprinting towards the other side. He could hear the other team not far behind him as they chased him down the field. Out of the corner of his eye, Soma saw his teammate's blonde hair and he passed the ball swiftly to the right. Takumi had dashed alongside Soma and now had possession of the ball. The intruders changed direction to attack as they saw Takumi kick towards the goal. The first to arrive lunged and body checked him hard to the ground while the others dove to stop the ball from going past the unofficial goal. But the ball wasn't gliding forward, it was hurdling through the air to the left, straight towards Soma, and he immediately headed the ball right past the goalie.

The crowd screamed and rushed the beach! They had won! Alice jumped into Ryo's arms straight away before shrieking, "Ah, you're so sweaty! Go wash off!" He obliged but not before mischievously dragging her into the ocean with him as she yelled playfully.

Ryoko, Yuki, and Megumi were thanking Soma and Satoshi profusely, claiming they would make dinner for the next few weeks as a reward. Erina watched as Soma just laughed and shrugged off their thanks, claiming it was just the right thing to do.

Everyone cheered as the strangers packed up their things and left, grumbling profanities the whole time. It seemed like this win brought the party back to life tenfold, and the music and grill started back up.

Soma scanned the adoring crowd as he had before, once again stopping when he spotted her. He shot her a wide grin from across the beach and she blushed, turning away. It wasn't like he did this for her! Why was he acting so self-satisfied?

The moon was out now, and a few students had started a large bonfire. Erina sat on a log as she stared distractedly into the flames. She hadn't even noticed when Soma sat right next to her, and he leaned in to whisper, "Hello? Earth to Nakiri?" She jumped at the disturbance before calming down once she realized it was just him.

"I bet you're feeling rather proud of yourself now," she sniffed. The wind was picking up and although she was by the fire, she was still cold in her thin sundress.

Soma laughed, "How so?" He noticed the goosebumps on her arms and without thinking, he took off his jacket and wrapped it around her.

Erina, who was incredibly startled at this, replied, "You just love any excuse to show off, don't you?"

Soma gave her a cocky grin, "It's only showing off if you were impressed."

She blushed and quipped, "I wasn't! You should have just stayed out of it!"

He raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "Why? They were making you girls uncomfortable. I wasn't just going to stand by and let them talk to you like that."

Erina was tired of always being the damsel in distress whenever it came to this guy. She lied hastily, "I wasn't uncomfortable! I was fine on my own!"

Soma played along, "So you liked those guys? The way they stared at you like a piece of meat?" She could be so goddamn stubborn sometimes.

Her sense of propriety got the best of her as she objected loudly, "Of course not! They were disgusting and vulgar!" He laughed at her sudden change and confirmed, "So you should be happy I got involved! Besides, Kurokiba got in their faces too, why aren't you mad at him?"

She hastily replied, "Because he was doing it for Alice!"

Soma shot back, "And? I was doing it for my friends!" He gestured over to his female dormmates who were chatting happily now that the drama was over. Erina couldn't help but feel slightly jealous.

She remarked, "You do a lot for your friends, don't you, Yukihira?" in a tone he didn't recognize.

"Well, yeah… they're like my family. And I would've done the same for you too." His golden eyes were too much for her. She looked down and mumbled under her breath, "Yet you didn't."

She hadn't meant for him to hear her and she was mortified when he replied, "Ah, so that's what you're mad about?" He gave her a playful grin and rolled his eyes when she didn't respond. "Nakiri, seriously? First of all, I was watching the whole time and you didn't look scared, you just looked pissed. I figured you could probably handle yourself better than the other girls. Second of all, by the time that guy had touched you, Kurokiba had already moved in to threaten the guy. I thought I'd be more useful to the other girls."

"What do you mean you were watching the whole time?" Erina's ears had perked up when Soma had let this slip. He had been on the other side of the beach, why would he have been watching her?

Her heart began to race a little faster as she watched him fumble with his words. "I heard them say they were gonna go talk to you guys, so I just wanted to keep an eye on them," he admitted as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Erina said nothing for a few moments and then began hitting him. "Idiot! Why didn't you stop them?!"

Soma laughed and exclaimed between punches, "How was I supposed to know they were going to try something like that?!"

Erina huffed in annoyance and crossed her arms, "It doesn't matter! You should have stopped them regardless." Her purple eyes flashed with irritation, and Soma gave her an incredulous look.

"Damn, Nakiri, I can't just fight everyone that wants to hit on you! I'd have to fight the whole school!"

He watched as she chuckled softly, realizing how unreasonable she was being. Her smile, coupled with the soft glow from the bonfire, made Soma suddenly realize how absurdly pretty this girl was. He began thinking of guys lining up one by one to challenge him for Erina Nakiri. Oddly enough, the idea excited him.

"On second thought…" Soma began slowly, "…send them my way. Whoever wants to date you, tell him to challenge me." Soma's eyes steeled, and she could see he was serious. It sent a shiver down her spine as she thought of him fighting her potential suitors. He pushed himself up off the log and turned to rejoin his friends. "I've got your back, Nakiri!" He reminded her as he walked away.

 _You always do…_


	2. Halloween

"I'm not wearing this," Erina stated as she stared at the costume Alice had left on the bed for her.

"Meanie, why not?" Alice pouted as she walked over to the bed where the costume lay.

"It's inappropriate!" Erina retorted, causing her cousin to roll her eyes.

"It's Halloween! Everyone dresses inappropriately. It's the one time of year no one can judge you for dressing immodestly."

The blonde scoffed, "Not everyone is the headmaster of a school. No, Alice, I'm not wearing this."

Alice huffed in annoyance and took the sexy witch costume off the bed and threw it into the pile of rejections.

Halloween was tomorrow and Erina had rejected every single costume Alice had bought from the party store! "Well, that was the last one. What are you going to wear to the festival?"

Erina shrugged indifferently, "Probably my uniform since I'll be coming straight from my meeting."

Alice's face contorted with horror and Erina groaned quite unladylike. "Fine, I'll also wear this hat?" She reluctantly picked up the witch hat from the bed and plopped it on her head.

Alice sighed. "I suppose that will have to do. I can't wait for you to see Ryo and me in our couples costume!"

Erina smirked, "Does it count as a couples costume if you're not actually a couple?"

Alice merely winked, "Oh we are. He just doesn't know it yet."

* * *

The following afternoon, the campus was buzzing with excitement over the festival. Every year, Tōtsuki put on a Halloween festival, complete with a haunted house, costume contests, free candy, and more. This was open not only to students, but anyone who wanted to come by and celebrate the spooky occasion.

At sunset, Erina made her way through the crowd to find Hisako, Alice and Ryo by the entrance. Hisako, who claimed she was a doctor (although the costume was called "Naughty Nurse"), was not surprised at Erina's lack of costume. "So festive, Erina," she grinned, as her friend rolled her eyes playfully.

"I promised Alice I'd have some semblance of a costume." She tipped her hat dramatically, much to Hisako's amusement and Alice's irritation.

Alice, a sexy cat, crossed her arms and sighed, "I knew I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. At least now I won't have competition for the costume contest! Ryo and I are going to wipe the floor with everyone! Isn't that right?"

Ryo nodded dully, his collar tinkling. The sly girl had made him dress as the dog to her cat. He hated it. She had begged him to wear it though, and Ryo found that even after all these years of being her aide, he couldn't say no to her. She lovingly adjusted his costume and he stood dutifully.

"Yo," Ryo called out as he saw Akira Hayama approaching. "What are you supposed to be?" It looked like he was wearing a plain t shirt covered with fake blood.

Akira replied nonchalantly, "Jun poured this on me as I was leaving. I wasn't planning on dressing up." He recalled how his mentor had buzzed around maternally trying to find something he could wear as he went off to participate in an event with friends with own age! She'd rushed to the store in an effort to find a costume for him, but the party store was completely sold out. All she could find was a bottle of fake blood, and as fate would have it, she arrived home at exactly the moment her protege had been walking out the door.

Akira greeted the girls politely and managed to sneak a glance at Hisako from the corner of his eyes. It was weird seeing her dressed like this. _Not that she looks bad…_ He thought.

As they discussed what to do first, Takumi and Isami Aldini approached the group dressed as two other Italian brothers: Mario and Luigi. Everyone loved their costumes, and Takumi exclaimed passionately, "So we're a shoo-in to win the costume contest!"

Alice cried out in protest, "No fair, that's for couples only! You can't join this thing; Ryo and I are supposed to win!"

"You don't have to be a couple, it's just a couples costume! And wait a minute, you two aren't a couple either!"

Alice growled at this personal attack, and Ryo had to hold her back. As they squabbled, the rest of the group continued making plans for where to go first.

"Should we check out the haunted house?" Hisako suggested, looking around at her friends. At this, Takumi stopped fighting with Alice and interjected, "No, we have to wait for Yukihira. I want to see who's the least scared!"

Everyone snickered, as they all knew this 'intense competition' between them was very one-sided. "Why does everything have to be a competition, bro?" Isami laughed quietly as Takumi glanced confusedly at everyone's smiling faces.

"Speak of the devil," Akira said as Soma Yukihira and his Polar Star friends walked through the entrance.

"Hey! Sweet costumes!" Soma greeted everyone cheerfully. Erina tried her hardest to avoid eye contact but he walked right up to her and smiled warmly. "Nakiri, what are you supposed to be?"

She pointed to her hat and responded unemotionally, "I'm a witch."

Shoji and Daigo whispered between themselves, "I'll say…"

"That's it? This is your costume? C'mon, I expected more from you," Soma shook his head at her and she crossed her arms haughtily.

"And what are you supposed to be exactly?" She looked him up and down but all he had on was a cape. Soma picked something out from his pocket and put it in his mouth. "I'm a vampire!" He grinned, showing off the pointy teeth and pointing to two small red dots on his neck.

Erina stared for a few seconds, then asked in confusion, "Why are the bite marks on your own neck? Did you bite yourself?"

She laughed as she watched realization come over his face. She was so busy making fun of him, she hardly noticed when he pulled out the red marker from his cape pocket to draw two little dots on her neck.

"Hey!" She exclaimed, as he pulled away laughing. "There! Now we're kind of like a couples costume!" Erina blushed at his words and muttered insults under her breath.

"I was just gonna wear my regular Yukihira shirt and 'pretend' I was the sole chef at the restaurant, but everyone made me dress up. This was all they had at the party store on such short notice."

Erina smirked, "You as the head chef at Saiba-sama's restaurant would be truly terrifying. You should have gone with that," and she promptly turned back to the group to rejoin the conversation before he could argue.

"So, haunted house?" Everyone nodded in agreement. Only Megumi, who was dressed as an angel, and Erina were hesitant to go. Soma sensed their reluctance and suggested they wait outside for them, and just as Megumi was about to accept, Erina shook her head defiantly and insisted they go. She was not going to be a damsel in distress anymore.

"How dare you imply we're scared! I'm not afraid and neither is Megumi! Let's go!" She announced much more boldly than she felt, and she marched right up to the entrance of the haunted house, dragging the poor angel behind her.

The man at the entrance made them break up into smaller groups as they entered. Alice, Ryo, Akira, and Hisako entered first, then Megumi and the Aldini brothers (who swore to protect her). The third group was Ryoko, Yuki, Ishiki, and Marui, and finally, the bouncer let Erina, Soma, Shoji, and Daigo pass.

As soon as they entered the musky dark hallway, Erina felt her heart beat faster in suspense. Every corner they turned caused her gut to twist nervously as she anticipated the horrors on the other side waiting to jump out. Suddenly, she felt hands roughly grabbing her shoulders and a voice beside her ear shout, "BOO!"

She shrieked in terror and jumped in surprise as Shoji and Daigo fell to the floor laughing.

She clutched her chest, barely able to breathe. Her body had broken into a cold sweat now and she was anxious to get out of there. "Idiots! How dare you scare me like that?! That was not funny!"

The boys were still laughing from their prank as Soma pulled them up by their collars and said, "Alright, you guys should go ahead of us."

They started to protest, "It was just a joke! Nakiri knows we were just messing around!"

Soma nodded knowingly, "Yeah, you guys really got her!" He laughed and paused to fist bump them, but turned to look at the frightened girl and said, "But I think she's had enough. Just go and we'll meet you guys at the end!" He smiled encouragingly, and his friends shrugged and left the pair in the dark hallway.

"Thanks," Erina muttered as she wiped her sweaty palms on her skirt. Soma smiled kindly, "No problem. Do you wanna keep going?"

Since when was Soma Yukihira mature? She had fully expected him to pull that kind of prank on her, not stop it. She nodded in response, wanting to just push through and get it over with. They slowly made their way to the first room.

In the corner, a disgusting zombie had been hiding and waiting for its next prey. He came up close to Erina and let out a low guttural moan next to her ear. Erina yelped and gripped Soma's arm out of instinct and fear, and he grinned but didn't shake her off. They continued making their way through the frightening passageways and rooms, and with every new terror, Erina moved unconsciously closer to the boy next to her. They were only a few rooms in when she suddenly refused to move forward, and she had her eyes fully shut.

"Nakiri, you need to open your eyes! How else are we gonna get out of here?" He tried his best not to laugh at her, but she looked so cute when she was scared.

"Figure it out!" She yelled, keeping her hands firmly clamped over her eyes.

 _You asked for it_ , he thought as he put his hands on her shoulders and gently guided her through the intricate hallway. He felt her tense under his hands every time one of the monsters approached her and made scary noises near her face.

After a particularly persistent axe-murderer kept breathing heavily on Erina and following her through the hall, she finally turned around to face Soma and hugged him tightly. "I can't," she said defeatedly, her voice muffled from being buried in his shirt. Soma froze; he knew the hug wasn't out of affection or anything even remotely related to it, but it was still shocking. His protective instincts won over eventually, and he chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her comfortingly. He did his best not to step on her feet as he led them both through the remainder of the rooms. Every time one of the actors approached her, she hugged him tighter until Soma was certain she was cutting off his air supply. Finally, they had reached the exit.

"You did it!" Soma laughed as they walked back out onto the dark street. Erina stuttered, "S-see, told you I wasn't scared…" Suddenly very aware of his arms around her, she pushed him off hastily. Soma grinned at her blushing face.

"I don't know why anyone would pay to be scared on purpose. As if my life isn't filled with enough worry and anxiety, I'm really going to PAY to be terrified. What a stupid concept!"

Soma laughed as he couldn't really disagree with her. "People just like the adrenaline rush I guess."

She snapped back, "People are idiots!"

The vampire just smiled good-naturedly and spotted something over her shoulder. "Come on, I know what'll make you feel better," he said as he walked past her. Erina wavered for a few seconds, but as she didn't exactly want to be left alone by the haunted house, she begrudgingly followed him.

They joined a crowd of people gathered around a stage with roughly a dozen little kids all in different costumes. The costume contest for kids aged 2-5 was just starting. Erina's heart melted as she watched them get excited whenever the crowd cheered for them, and she particularly fell in love with a 3-year old dressed as a bumblebee.

Soma watched her as she cheered for the kids and clapped loudly along with the crowd. He thought aloud, "Wow, who knew Erina Nakiri had such a soft spot for kids." Erina frowned at the comment but couldn't take her eyes off them.

"Children are special. They're so innocent and pure; they haven't been burdened by the troubles of the world yet." Her face hardened. "They should be protected." Soma knew what had happened to Erina as a child. His heart ached at the thought of a small Erina crying, not knowing what she did wrong, as her father locked her in a dark room alone for hours.

He started to grab her hand but thought better of it. They weren't that close yet, even if he did consider her one of his better friends.

"Do you want kids one day?" Soma asked, genuinely curious after viewing her reaction to the kids on the stage. Normally Erina would have slapped him for asking such a private question, but the haunted house had really taken most of her energy from her.

"I don't know," she replied honestly. "I have so many other plans for myself. I want to open a restaurant. I want to earn my Michelin stars. I want to stand at the pinnacle of the cooking world. I don't know how I'd be able to balance all that with children."

Soma nodded understandingly. She continued, "Even if I decided I did want to, I don't think I'd know how to be a mother. Without my own…" she faltered, unsure of how much she wanted to reveal. His earnest look pushed her forward and she admitted, "You know my mother wasn't around for my childhood. How am I supposed to know what a mother says or does when I can't even remember my own?"

Soma shrugged, "No new parent ever knows what they're doing. Do you think my dad knew anything about raising a kid?" He laughed whole-heartedly thinking about all the things his dad definitely shouldn't have let him do. "And when my mom passed away, he had to take on both roles."

Erina's eyes widened instantly at this; she had never heard him mention his mother before. However, Soma didn't notice Erina's shocked expression and he continued, "And hey, here I am! Pretty good for one parent, right?" He winked cheekily, and she rolled her eyes. "But for what it's worth, I think you'd be good at it."

She eyed him critically, searching for any hint of sarcasm or teasing. Soma explained, "You already kind of act like a mom towards the girls. You're more maternal than you think, Nakiri." There had been a few instances where Soma had walked by Megumi's cracked door and heard Erina's soothing voice consoling her or giving career advice. He had also seen her scary parental side reprimand Alice several times, often acting stricter than Alice's own mother.

"I can totally picture you teaching your daughter how to make the best chocolate chip cookies on a rainy Sunday, but at the same time, you'd totally be the badass PTA mom that beats up the other moms if their kids bullied yours."

Erina couldn't help but smile in response to this image. She fully agreed, adding, "And my husband has to make a sizeable donation to the school to repair the damage I caused."

Soma chuckled, "Exactly. We all know you're gonna end up with some James Bond debonair guy anyways, so he can afford it."

Erina thought about her future life the way her friend had painted it. Perfect children, perfect husband, perfect life, right? But something was off. It was too…perfect. Boring, even. "I suppose I wouldn't mind one or two well-behaved children then. What about you? Do you want kids?"

"For sure," Soma responded without hesitation. "After I get settled in my career and stuff, I want a huge family! At least 3 or 4." Erina giggled as she pictured a litter of mini Somas running around with knives and lit matches while tugging on adult Soma's clothes and hair.

"They're gonna be champions. The best chefs of their time," he stated matter-of-factly.

Erina replied coolly, "Hmm, let's hope Saiba-sama's genius skips a generation then." She laughed at his unamused expression and continued, "But the chaos suits you. I think you'd be a great father, Yukihira. Your poor wife though," she teased. "She's going to have to have a lot of patience."

Erina imagined he would end up with someone sweet and serene, who didn't mind tidying up the whirl storm their kids had left.

Soma shook his head, "Nah, my wife is gonna have to be the one who keeps us all alive so she's gonna be tough as hell. I just hope she can cook too!"

Erina casually flipped her hair over her shoulder and remarked, "She won't be better than me, will she?"

Was she flirting with him? He was a little thrown off and none of his usual witty remarks came to mind. He answered simply, "No one's better than you, Nakiri..." After seeing the blush on her face, he tried to change the subject, musing "You know, I bet we would have been friends as kids."

Erina just laughed dryly, "No, we definitely would not have been friends."

Soma gaped at her, "What? Can't you picture mini me and you competing in little Shokugekis with our easy bake ovens?"

She giggled over this image and shook her head, "No way. I still would have crushed you, and you were probably the most annoying child ever. I know this for a fact, since you're basically still a child," she stuck her tongue out at him and he laughed as he pointed at her tongue, "Oh, I'm the childish one?"

They found a spot on a bench away from the contest and pulled out the bags of free candy they'd received for participating in the haunted house.

"But yeah, I know I can be kinda reckless. That's why I told you my wife is gonna have to be the responsible one! Complementary strengths and whatnot," he reasoned. "That's like how my parents were. My dad was just like me apparently and my mom was the one who kept the house and diner running."

Erina shook her head in disbelief, "No, I refuse to believe that Saiba-sama wasn't the responsible one! That goes against everything I've ever thought about him."

Soma merely laughed, "Oh Nakiri, the things I could tell you. From what he's told me, he was just as wild. Then he met my mom, and she whipped him into shape."

Erina watched him sift through his candy bag and she took the opportunity to picture an older Soma. He still had the visible-from-space hair and amber eyes, but he was taller and more muscular (at least in Erina's vision of the future). She imagined how much knowledge of the cooking world he'd acquire in just a few more years and how incredibly unstoppable he would become. His future self reminded her so much of her old crush.

How had she never seen this before? The stunning similarities between the two were obvious. Soma was a diamond in the rough just waiting to be polished, the way his mother had done with his father. It made her blush thinking of how much potential her former enemy had to become someone so… enticing.

"I feel like that's what you do for me," Soma said, breaking Erina out of her trance. "Ever since I met you, my cooking's only improved!" He smiled warmly at her.

She teased, "That's not saying much, Yukihira."

Soma grinned, "Don't you worry, I'll be coming up with something real soon to make you say my food's delicious! I already have a few dozen recipes I need you to try this week!"

Erina groaned, "No! I can't possibly do that, and besides, what makes you think I want to help you?!"

"Because we're friends now." Soma said, as if it was obvious.

Erina quipped, "If I had known this is what friends do, we would've stayed rivals."

Soma just laughed, "Why can't we be both?"

"Idiot, that's basically an oxymoron. You can't be rivals and friends at the same time."

Soma looked confused, "Why not? All of my closest friends here are my biggest rivals. I told you from day one I was here to take the top spot. My goal hasn't changed just because I like you guys. It just so happened that my biggest threats were really cool people!" He laughed carelessly as he continued picking through his candy. How he managed to turn something so unnatural into something so casual was beyond her.

Soma began comparing his candy with hers. Erina grimaced at all of it. None of this artificial crap could satisfy her God Tongue. Soma chuckled, "It must be really hard being so sensitive to food. You really are like a princess."

Erina cocked her eyebrow, "How so?"

Soma continued, "You know, like that story about the princess and the pea? The real princess could feel the pea underneath a bunch of mattresses and was super sensitive to even the slightest discomfort. Just like you!" He winked teasingly. Suddenly, he spotted something in the street. "You know what, I'll be right back!" Soma sprinted away, leaving Erina alone on the bench.

 _What the hell? Where is he going?_ She thought, as she tried to find something edible in her bag of candy.

A minute later, Soma came back with a plastic tiara in his hand. "Voila!" He tossed the witch hat off her head and put the tiara gently in its place. "I think this suits you better."

Erina stared at him for a few moments before uttering, "Where did you even get this?"

The redhead shrugged, "I saw a girl pass by with it and I thought it would look better on you. I gave her some of my candy but what she really wanted was my fake teeth. It was super weird." He laughed it off and Erina shuddered at the thought of what one of his fans was going to do with something like that. Things that belonged to the first seat usually went for a lot of money online.

"Now you don't have a costume though. How are we going to be a couples costume?" She added only half-mockingly.

"Hmm," he thought for a moment. "I guess now we can be like the princess and the pauper!" He suggested excitedly. "It fits us so well! Get it?"

Without thinking, Erina stated flatly, "Don't say that."

Soma crinkled his brows, "Say what? That you're a princess?"

She muttered, "That you're a pauper. Only I can say that. I don't want you to ever say that about yourself again."

The severity of her tone made Soma gulp and he nodded in confusion. "Okay, I promise."

Something within her had snapped at hearing him call himself a commoner. He had proved himself a million times over of being worthy to be at this school. He had fought for her and all their classmates. God, it was embarrassing, but she had even given him the first seat.

Erina had an idea, and she mumbled, "Stay here." Soma watched as she approached a group of third years. She came back shortly with a plastic crown in hand. "You've been promoted from pauper to prince," she stated as she unceremoniously let the crown fall lopsided on his head.

Soma's face broke into a giant smile and Erina couldn't deny it made her heart beat a little faster.

"Did you give them candy?" Soma joked, and Erina shook her head, "I threatened to expel them." Soma's jaw dropped and Erina smirked, "I'm joking. They just gave it to me when I asked. Expulsion would have been Plan B."

Soma grinned, "Wow, thanks, Nakiri. This means a lot! Now I know for a fact you like my cooking!"

Erina rolled her eyes, "This means nothing. These are completely unrelated events and we shall never speak of this again."

Soma just smiled back at her, "Sure thing, princess. Did you wanna meet up with the rest of the guys? I think they're watching the movie."

She nodded back, a little disappointed their time alone together would come to an end.

* * *

They walked to the area of the campus where the school was showing Hocus Pocus using an outdoor projector. The pair finally found their friends in the sea of costumes and settled onto the blankets Hisako had come prepared with. During the movie, Soma couldn't help but let his mind wander with respect to the blonde next to him. His mother had been the one to push his father, the way Erina pushed him. _Weird,_ he chuckled to himself. He wondered if his mother had hated his father the way Erina had initially hated him. His mind couldn't help but conflate the two relationships. Scenario after scenario ran through his head.

Him, his father, his mother, Erina.

His father and mother. Married. Him and Erina. Married. _Wait, what? Where did that come from? No way would that ever happen_ , he thought firmly.

He stole a glance at the princess next to him. She was thoroughly enthralled by the movie and he grinned as she jumped a little during the scary scene playing out in front of them. She was so…cute. He thought about their fun conversations and impromptu Shokugekis. He thought going out on dates and opening up their restaurants together. He thought about their fictitious future children and how they would all cook and eat their meals together as a family. He thought about getting yelled at every day for the rest of his life by none other than the crown jewel of the cooking world, Erina Nakiri.

Finally, he thought about how it had taken her over a year to even admit they were friends.

 _No way would that ever happen_.


	3. Christmas

"So, does everyone get it? $30 limit, and if you draw your own name you have to draw again." Takumi announced, and everyone nodded in understanding.

Christmas was approaching in a few days and the gang had decided to play Secret Santa. The Polar Star gang had invited their other friends to join, and Alice gleefully accepted on behalf of her, her cousin, and Hisako.

Erina had whispered right before entering, "Why are we doing this again?"

Alice flashed her cousin a look of annoyance and responded slowly as if speaking to a child, "Because they're our friends, Erina. Friends do things like this."

Erina groaned dramatically in response and Hisako chuckled. She knew that deep down, her blonde best friend enjoyed hanging out with their oddball group of friends.

Takumi finished writing the last name on a piece of scrap paper and dropped it in a hat. "Alright everyone, please pick whose Secret Santa you'll be this year!"

The teens excitedly drew names, and when Erina reached her hand inside she had a gut feeling whose name she would draw. "Soma Yukihira" the paper read. Of course. _How am I supposed to know what to get him for Christmas?_ She snuck a peek at the redhead, who looked lost in thought as he stared at his own paper. _Maybe a brain?_

She glanced around at the others who were either hiding their expressions to not make it obvious who they had or were too excited to contain themselves.

Alice peered over Erina's shoulder, trying to look at her paper. "Who did you get?"

Erina whipped the scrap of paper out of sight, scolding her, "It's a secret! We aren't supposed to tell people who we got!"

Alice merely pouted, "Don't be such a Grinch, Erina!"

While she was a strict stickler for the rules, she also didn't want to give her cousin ammunition to tease her. Alice had suspected something was different between her cousin and Soma ever since Halloween, when they had both come back with matching "costumes". Erina had vehemently denied anything happened, but Alice noticed she never threw away the plastic crown. Instead, it hung on the corner of her bed post.

Soma had spotted Erina's little outburst with Alice and decided it was time to play his favorite game: Annoy Nakiri.

He sauntered up to the blonde casually and tried to sneak an obvious peek, and to his great pleasure, she clutched the paper to her chest as if her life depended on it.

She yelled out exasperatedly, "Doesn't anyone respect the rules of this game?!"

Soma leaned against the wall nonchalantly with his hands in his pockets and tried his best not to smile. He replied innocently, "Sheesh, I just thought we could help each other out! I have no idea what I'm gonna get my person."

Erina mumbled, "Me neither. This person is particularly difficult to shop for." Her refusal to meet his eyes and the blush on her face was suspicious.

Soma eyed her for a few moments before shooting her a charming smile.

"Nakiri," he said slowly in a seductive voice, "Are you my secret Santa?" He grinned as Erina's wide eyes snapped back to meet his, and before she could respond, he cut her off, "Because if you are, you already know what I want."

He walked up to her and leaned in a little, whispering in her ear. The hair on the back of her neck stood as she felt his warm breath tickle her ear. "I want to make that mouth of yours say my food is delicious."

Erina felt a shiver down her spine, and she pushed him away forcefully. How dare this brute act so improperly around her! Didn't he know what this looked like? She poked her finger into his chest and walked him back towards the wall, "I will NEVER say your food is delicious, so you should probably say goodbye to that wish of yours. Even 'Santa' himself wouldn't be able to grant that. Which brings me to my next point, I am not your secret Santa!" She lied with such conviction she almost believed it herself. "If I had pulled your name, I would've switched with someone immediately!"

Soma was now pressed up against the wall with her finger firmly pushed against his chest. Her icy glare was deadly, but he couldn't help but feel happy. Without fail, every conversation with Erina Nakiri left butterflies in his stomach.

Soma laughed, "Alright fine, put that thing down!" He grabbed her hand and gently pulled it away from his chest, but he didn't let go.

Ever since Halloween, Soma had been struggling with his feelings for this girl. He hadn't even realized he saw her that way until he'd unintentionally imagined what it would be like if they were together. And in Soma's mind, it was great. Erina was the complete package in his eyes: beautiful, witty, hard-working, talented, feisty as hell. What more could a guy want? However, from the way Erina had always treated him, he was certain she did not feel the same way. If anything, he was pushing his luck just by being friends with her.

"Get a room," Ryo muttered as he passed by them. Erina gasped at the insinuation, while Soma densely wondered, What for? She scowled, pulled her hand away, and stomped back to Alice's side to beg her to let them go home.

Before Erina could grumble her complaint, Yuki approached the Nakiri cousins and Hisako energetically. "Hiya! Ryoko, Megumi, and I were just about to bake some Christmas cookies! Do you guys want to join?" Her teal eyes sparkled with enthusiasm and the girls couldn't say no. They thoroughly enjoyed Yuki's cheery and passionate nature, and they giggled as she fist-pumped the air and led them to the kitchen.

* * *

It looked like Santa's workshop had thrown up in there. Ingredients were scattered along all the tables, along with every color and shape of sprinkle imaginable, green and red MMs, and chocolate, peanut butter, and cinnamon chips in assorted bowls.

Yuki clapped her hands excitedly, "Today we're making chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter blossoms, red velvet crinkles, and snickerdoodles, but obviously if you want to make something else you can!"

Ryoko, their much calmer friend, smiled warmly and said, "Please make yourselves at home. Erina, I'm sure you remember where all the cooking equipment is. If you need anything else or want us to buy more toppings, please let us know."

Megumi nodded kindly in agreement and brought out icing, piping bags, and assorted nozzles.

Erina, Alice, and Hisako's heads spun knowing there was no way they would need anything else, and they assured the girls there was no need for more. As they washed their hands and rolled up their sleeves, Soma popped his head into the kitchen. "Whoa, what's going on in here?! Are we baking?!"

He excitedly began to untie the white bandana that adorned his wrist when Yuki exclaimed, "Sorry, Yukihira! It's a girls baking day only!"

Erina laughed at the stunned expression on his face as the amber-haired girl swiftly kicked him out of the kitchen.

"Wait, but-" The door closed in his face, and Yuki grimaced, "I feel bad. It's like kicking a puppy." Megumi giggled, "He'll get over it."

As the ladies went to work baking, they chatted about the upcoming holidays and the things they could possibly want for Secret Santa. Megumi and Hisako were visiting family, Ryoko and Yuki were staying in the dorms, and Alice was going to Denmark with Ryo. Megumi asked sweetly, "Erina, what are your plans for the holidays?"

"I'm going to Paris with my grandfather for New Year's, but no plans for Christmas unfortunately. Just a mountain of paperwork waiting for me back home." Erina sighed as she thought of all the work that being the headmistress came with. The Polar Star girls squealed as soon as they heard the word Paris though- how romantic! "Maybe you'll meet someone, Erinacchi!" Yuki exclaimed, her eyes the size of heart-shaped saucers, as she pictured Erina and a tall, dark and handsome stranger atop the Eiffel Tower.

"No! Definitely not!" Erina blushed, "I'm not even there for fun, Grandfather is going for business and he wants me to come and learn so I can start taking over."

Ryoko gave Erina a sympathetic smile, joking, "Even if you have to work, at least it's a beautiful city to be overwhelmed in. Does it snow in Paris?"

Erina shook her head, "I don't think so. It's kind of like here, where it's cold enough to be uncomfortable but not enough to snow. I really wish it would though. I haven't had a white Christmas in years."

Yuki commented, "This year will be especially cold though so who knows! I hadn't seen snow before last winter, but we were so busy kicking bad guy butt I didn't even get to enjoy it!"

The girls laughed at Yuki's complaint and Megumi added, "Imagine how cute Tōtsuki would look as a winter wonderland! So magical!"

All the girls nodded in agreement. As they continued talking about Christmas, Erina began to think about what she was going to have to get for that annoying redhead. Nothing immediately came to mind, and the thought of giving him something he would hate worried her much more than she wanted to admit. No matter, she still had a week to come up with something, right?

* * *

Wrong! The next couple of days were incredibly stressful for Erina. She tore her hair out trying to think of a suitable gift for Soma, but she just couldn't come up with anything. She visited 3 separate malls, scouring the stores for literally anything that seemed like an appropriate gift.

The problem was everything cooking-related was well over the $30 spending limit. How did they agree to this amount?! No proper gift could possibly be so cheap.

She had been thinking of getting him a new knife sharpener for his favorite knife, but the good ones ran over $100.

Apart from cooking, she wasn't sure if he had any other hobbies. Does he read? Does he play sports? She couldn't get him clothes, as she'd never seen him in anything other than his Yukihira shirts.

Erina groaned in frustration; how did she know so little about him? He was an open book, yet she had never bothered to know more. The blonde princess felt a pang of guilt hit her in the gut. Soma had always been so nice to her and she had treated him so poorly. Even now that they were friends, it was hard for her to open up and let him in. Why?

Erina made up her mind and left the mall, ordering her driver to take her to his dorm. The gift exchange was in 3 days and she had nothing. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and it was time to investigate. As she rode in the car, she began thinking of all the possible excuses she could use for being there. If she ran into Soma, she could pretend she was there to see Megumi to borrow a book? Or she was there to see him for Elite Ten business?

She walked through the front door of her former home and poked her head around. It looked like no one was home. She quietly tip-toed up the stairs and crept towards Soma's door. Her heart beat faster as she pressed her ear against it. No noises. Was he asleep or just not there? She knocked softly and prepared to run in case she heard his footsteps, but there was only silence.

Slowly, she cracked the door open, revealing his empty room. She slipped in without thinking and shut the door behind her. _What the hell am I doing? Am I going insane?_ She thought to herself as she began looking around his room for clues.

His room was exactly how she remembered it, bare and neat. The bed was the only sign someone had been there recently, unless you counted his desk. It was chaotic, with papers, sticky notes, and notebooks scattered all over. She walked over, taking a closer look. They were all recipes. She laughed to herself, _Of course._ They varied widely, from "Grape jelly with anchovies?" hastily scribbled on a sticky note to a full notebook of French cuisine definitions and techniques in neat handwriting.

Her eyes fell to the yellowed and aged papers on his desk. Now these recipes were impressive. So much skill and technique were involved, yet they weren't overly complicated to the point where they wouldn't be able to be created quickly or in large quantities. Exactly like something Soma's family diner would serve. The handwriting wasn't his though; it was feminine and in cursive. She wondered who had written these down.

Erina continued to glance around the room. Her eyes scanned over the photographs he had framed on his walls of his friends and his family. He had some of him and his dad, where the family resemblance was evident once it had been pointed out. There were some group photos of him and his dormmates, laughing in Marui's room while Marui himself looked irritated. He had one of him and Erina right above his desk.

 _Wait-what?_

She stared hard, trying to place it. It looked like it was taken right after they had defeated Eishi and Rindo at the Regiment de Cuisine. She had been so exhausted she barely remembered taking this picture. As she stared, her heart swelled at the memory of finally freeing herself and the school from her father. She couldn't have done it alone though.

Suddenly, the door swung open. Soma walked in, blue in the face. It looked like he had been outside in the cold for hours. A crooked smile appeared on his face as he seemed to finally notice Erina.

"Oh hey, Nakiri. What are you doing here?" He gave her a quizzical look as he strolled past her horror-stricken self and plopped down on his bed, clearly unbothered she had been snooping in his room.

She panicked, and her heart pounded furiously in her chest- she had been caught! "Uhh, I was looking for you obviously! But you never showed, so I was just leaving," Erina sputtered out and hastily turned to leave, but Soma grabbed her arm and held her there. "Wait, but I'm here now. What did you need?"

"I just wanted to know…if Megumi was here? I need to borrow something. I didn't see her in her room, and I figured you might know where she is, since you're good friends and all."

If he knew she was lying, he didn't give it away. He merely shook his head and said, "Nope, sorry, I've been out all day. Did you wanna borrow another romance manga?" He laughed teasingly, and she crossed her arms defensively, "No! That's not all I read!"

Soma couldn't stop himself from smiling but he said nothing. They both stayed there in silence until Soma cleared his throat. "Uh, Nakiri, was there something else you needed?" Not that he was in a rush to get rid of her, but he had some stuff to take care of.

She shook her head slowly, then stopped. "Yukihira," she began cautiously, "Why did you frame this picture of us?" She pointed to the one of them smiling blissfully right above his desk. She could've sworn she saw the slightest blush on his face, but maybe that was just his body warming up again from being inside.

He got up from the bed and joined her next to his desk. He stared at the photo for a few moments before replying simply, "We saved the school from Central together. It was just a really awesome moment, don't you think?"

She gave him a small smile and nodded. It was truly the best moment of her life. Even if it had to be with him. Maybe because it was with him. "Plus, every time I look at it, it just reminds me of my promise to you." Erina rolled her eyes at his words but blushed nonetheless. Why was he so set on impressing her? She decided to risk asking another question.

"Whose recipes are these?" She asked, running a hand gently over the withered loose sheets on his desk. Soma's eyes flashed with sadness for a moment, but the look passed as quickly as it had come.

"Those were my mom's. She wrote those down for me in her last few weeks at the hospital," Soma explained. "She died of cancer when I was a kid."

Erina was at a loss for words. So that was how she had died… How did she not know this about him? She knew how difficult it must have been since she had lost her own mother and it had destroyed her. How could he possibly remain so carefree and optimistic about everything?

"I'm sorry," was all she managed to get out. Soma smiled down at her, "It's okay. It happened a long time ago. But yeah, she wrote all her favorite recipes down for me so one day when I was a chef I could make them and remember her."

"And have you?"

Soma gave her a sheepish grin and admitted, "I've tried, but it's nothing compared to the way she used to make them. I guess I'm still missing something." He shook his head, as if racking his brain for the secret ingredient. "It does feel good to remember her in this way though, even if it's not perfect. Besides, I know that every time I try, I get a little closer."

Erina could see that determined look on his face, the one he got when he was battling in a Shokugeki, and she knew without a doubt he would get there. "I'm sure you've already made her proud," Erina offered, and Soma just nodded. He wasn't surprised at her kindness anymore; he had noticed when it was just the two of them she could be so different from the princess façade she put on for others.

"When I get there, you'll be the first to know." He winked, and his cockiness instantly reverted her back to her public persona. "I won't hold my breath," she smirked challengingly, and beautiful purple eyes looked up at him from under dark lashes.

He hadn't noticed how close he had stood next to her when he came over to look at the photo. He was completely frozen, his face only a foot away from hers. "I'm closer than you think," he murmured, unable to tear his eyes away. Soma could feel his pulse race when he saw her eyes dip down for a fraction of a second to his lips.

Erina broke eye contact first, stammering, "W-well, I should get going. I guess I'll see you when we do the Secret Santa exchange?" She backed away quickly, knocking over his desk chair. "Shit," she muttered, picking it up and colliding with another wall. Soma stared with a wide grin on his face as she practically ran out of the room. He called out to her, "See you then!"

Erina couldn't calm her breathing as she flew down the stairs and out the door. _What the hell was that? He's never looked at me that way before! Did I want to kis—No. No way! Absolutely not!_ She was clearly emotional after hearing about his mother! What a low-life thing to do, using his late mother to get girls! Disgusting!

However, despite the emotional storm inside of her, this outing had been a good idea. She finally knew what she could get him for Christmas.

* * *

The night of the gift exchange had arrived! The gang had decided to make it a few days before Christmas, as most of the students were leaving to go home for the holidays.

Erina felt nauseous as she carefully cradled the present in her hands. She had hand-wrapped Soma's gift, wanting to ensure it was perfect.

"I'm sure he'll love it," Hisako tried her best to console the nervous girl as they pulled up to the dormitory, while Alice just giggled. They had figured out who Erina's gift was for the moment they saw it.

"I couldn't care less if he likes it or not," Erina sniffed, apprehension growing as she stepped out of the car. It was freezing outside, and the girls ran towards the entrance and banged loudly on the door. Shun opened the door, nodded "Sup", and they politely but forcefully pushed past him into the warmth of the living room.

"Yay, we're all here!" Megumi greeted them excitedly, passing them cups of hot chocolate once they had set their gifts down. They thanked her and sipped on the silky chocolate drink, letting the cinnamon and whipped cream envelop their cold bodies soothingly. "This is perfect, Megumi!" Alice cooed in appreciation at the girl's ability to make such comforting food. "It's absolutely freezing outside!"

Megumi gasped in alarm and panicked, "Oh no! Our garden!" She had been so busy finishing up her gift, she had forgotten to cover the plants with a tarp to protect them from the cold. As she rushed to the back door, she ran into Soma, who was just now coming in.

"Ah, Soma-kun! Do the plants look okay?! I have to go cover them so they don't die!" She squealed, and Soma gripped her shoulders, "Don't worry, Tadokoro! I got it! You just go back inside!"

Megumi shook her head, "No, that's okay, I can do it!" But he wouldn't have it—he spun her around and gave her a gentle push back inside and walked right back out the door.

"Soma-kun has been acting so strange today," Megumi mumbled as she dazedly walked back into the living room. All day he had been coming in and out of the house, not letting anyone else go outside. He claimed it was something to do with their Secret Santa game. The group waited patiently until he came back and finally a few moments later, they were ready to start.

"So, I figured we could just start with one person and then continue on from there?" Takumi suggested, and they all nodded.

Megumi meekly raised her hand, "If you don't mind, I'd like to start!" Megumi stood from her seat with a package in her hands and she slowly approached Hisako. "Merry Christmas!"

She smiled sweetly, stretching her arms out to the pink-haired girl. Hisako thanked her and delicately unwrapped the gift. She pulled out a beautiful handmade scarf. Everyone ooh-ed and aw-ed, and Megumi blushed, "I hope you like it, Hisako. I made it myself. If not, I can definitely go buy you something better!" She exclaimed in a panic and Hisako assured her it was perfect!

They continued with the gift giving; Hisako giving Marui the latest Food Science book, Marui gave Alice a poster of some boy band, Alice gave Satoshi a scandalous new apron, and so on.

Ryoko ended up having Erina, and she presented her with a novel she had really loved and thought Erina might like it as well. Erina smiled as she flipped through, as it was exactly her kind of book. She thanked the purple-haired girl warmly and she thought, _Maybe having friends isn't so bad._ Ryoko reminded her so much of Hisako. She supposed it wouldn't be the worst idea to expand her friend group to the people here.

Finally, it was Erina's turn to give Soma her present. She stood up and tried to contain the pounding in her chest; she was taking a calculated risk here. He would either really like it or be extremely offended by her presumptuousness.

She began to speak, when she noticed he wasn't even there. "Yukihira!" She called out frustratedly, and his red hair popped through the doorway. "Sorry, I'm here! Just had to check on something!" He made a casual wave with his hand as he walked back into the room.

"Here!" She said irritatedly as she passed the gift to him.

He blinked, then burst out laughing, "I knew you were my secret Santa! Damn, Nakiri, you're a good liar!" He chuckled as he carefully unwrapped the paper.

Inside was a beautiful leather book with "Yukihira" engraved on the front. He opened the book to flip through the pages, but there were none.

"It's for your mother's recipes," she said shyly, her face as red as a tomato. "I thought you might want them in one place instead of scattered around."

Soma's face was completely expressionless. _He hates it. This was stupid. I should have just gotten the knife sharpener!_

"You don't have to put her recipes in there though," she added hastily as he continued to stare down at the book, "It can be anything!"

Soma said nothing but gently placed the book aside.

She continued defensively, "But honestly, how could you just let them remain unbound like that? You could have damaged them!" He straightened up to face her. "Or worse, you could have lost—" Her words were cut off by Soma swiftly pulling her in for a tight hug.

"Yukihira!" Erina exclaimed as she was aware that everyone was watching them. He didn't let go of her though. She was pressed so tightly against him that she could feel his heartbeat through his wool sweater. He was so warm and comfortable, and she let herself relax a little under his touch. Finally, he released her.

"Sorry, I guess I got a little emotional," he chuckled softly. "Thank you so much, Nakiri. This is amazing. I can't wait to use it!"

Relief washed over her, although she was embarrassed at his display of affection. She straightened up and replied professionally, "You're welcome. If you want, you can give me the pages and I'll have them finish binding them for you."

He nodded eagerly. Erina sat back down on the couch, blushing over what had just happened. _He really liked it! Ha, I did it!_ Hisako's blush matched her own and Alice was grinning like a Cheshire cat. She shot them both a look, _Don't say it._ The other girls were swooning over Soma's emotional reaction, while the guys just thought, _That was definitely more than $30._

The last secret Santa gift was about to be exchanged. Soma ran up the stairs to go grab his gift for Megumi and everyone heard a distinct heavy clunk upstairs. Soma poked his head out from the stairwell, "What are you guys waiting for? Come up here!"

The teens glanced around in confusion as they all thought his gift was outside. They got to their feet with Megumi leading the way upstairs. As soon as she had reached the top step, Soma cheerily exclaimed, "Merry Christmas, Tadokoro! Hope you like it!"

Where there used to be open space, there was now a ping pong table. Soma laughed at Megumi's cute little bounces and she rushed over to give him a quick hug. "Soma-kun, you didn't have to do this!" She laughed as she admired her gift.

Soma shook his head, "It's second-hand, sorry. I couldn't really afford a new one," he grinned sheepishly, and she gave him a kind smile. "This is more than enough. Thank you! I can't wait to play! Who's up first?!" She asked the group excitedly, and they all backed away. They had seen her when she was in her Hopping Hare mode.

Erina watched as Megumi and Soma chatted effortlessly and familiarly. It must be nice to be so comfortable around someone. A slow trickle of jealousy crept into her veins as she thought of how easy she imagined it had been for Soma to think of a gift for Megumi. Unlike her, who literally had to go spy on him, Megumi probably knew everything about Soma and vice versa. She watched as her friends began happily deciding who should play who first. She drifted towards the edge of the room, needing a break from all the action. Her thoughts wandered as she gazed out the window, and she saw the immaculate full moon and the snow gently fall to the ground.

 _Wait—what?_ Erina rubbed her eyes and stared out the window. It was snowing!

She quickly dashed down the stairs in excitement and threw the front door open, but there was no snow! What the hell? The upstairs window overlooked the garden, which was…the other way! Erina ran through the kitchen and hastily unlocked the back door.

Sure enough, as soon as she whipped the door open, snow was gently falling outside. How is this possible? She hesitantly stuck her hand out and caught a snowflake on the tip of her finger. She took a few steps forward and sunk into the snow, giggling at the foreign feeling. She spread her arms wide and stuck her face up towards the sky, letting the cold snowflakes dance on her face and hair.

"Merry Christmas, Nakiri."

Golden eyes watched her from inside. A charming lopsided smile adorned his face. Soma was there leaning against the doorway with her coat and scarf in hand. He stepped out onto the soft white ground and passed her the coat. "Do you like it?"

The snow? She nodded slowly, and he laughed with relief.

"Thank god, it took me forever!"

Erina froze-what was he talking about? Soma saw the confused look on her face and pointed up. She followed his finger and saw a hose-like contraption slung over the branch of a tall tree, somehow spraying snow instead of water. She didn't understand.

Soma laughed at her stunned expression, "It took forever setting this up. Tricking out the hose was one thing but climbing up this goddamn tree took way longer than I thought it would. And I got super lucky that it's cold enough out here to actually work!"

She continued to stare blankly. No, this couldn't be him.

"Fumio-san's gonna kill me when we get our utility bill though," he whispered gravely.

"Wh—I-How-But…You're failing math and physics," was all she managed to get out in her state of confusion.

"Yeah…And? There were no numbers involved here," he gave her a puzzled look and wrapped her white scarf around her neck almost delicately, not wanting to make it too tight. She could barely breathe as she felt his fingers lightly graze her neck as he lifted her tucked hair out from under the scarf.

She kept glancing back and forth between the snow, the hose, and Soma; her brain was completely unable to process this chain of events.

After a few moments of stunned silence, she asked, dumbfounded, "How did you know?"

"Pipes," he shrugged apologetically, referring to the web-like structure of pipes that carried sound throughout the dormitory.

They heard footsteps coming down the hall; the other teens had evidently seen the snow from the same window Erina had. She managed to utter a single syllable before they came out: "Why?"

His face wore the same expression it had the last time they had been alone together. His cheeks turned pink with embarrassment as he rubbed the back of his neck. "You said you wanted it to snow, right?"

The moment was interrupted as cheers broke through the cold air once the teens made their way outside. "It's snowing!" Yuki squealed excitedly, instantly dropping to the ground to make a snow angel. Megumi had closed her eyes and stuck her tongue out, hoping to catch a few snowflakes, giggling every time she felt the icy sensation on her face.

"How is this possible?" Hisako gasped, as she looked further out toward the garden where it had been untouched by the snow. Erina, still shell-shocked, pointed upwards in response.

Everyone stared for a few moments and immediately turned to Soma. "Hehe, Merry Christmas, everyone!"

* * *

Megumi brought out mittens, hats, and extra hot chocolate so they could all continue playing for as long as possible in the freezing cold weather. Erina was happily building a snowman with Alice and Hisako, giggling at how lopsided it had turned out. She snuck a peek over to Soma, who had just narrowly avoided being hit in the face by a snowball Takumi had thrown.

She couldn't believe he had done all this. For her? For his dorm? She couldn't be sure, honestly. No normal guy made it snow for a girl. That was something reserved for the characters in her romance novels, not Soma Yukihira!

Her thoughts were interrupted by said boy playfully hiding behind her, gripping her waist as if to position her as his human shield. "Hey!" She exclaimed, looking down to see him crouched behind her legs, staring fixedly at the enemies.

Takumi, Isami, and Akira were stalking him like lions stalked their prey. They knew it was only a matter of time before the heiress kicked him out from under her protection.

"Yukihira! Go out and face them like a man!" She yelled, blushing at the fact that his gloved hands still held her by the waist. How was it that she could feel them through so many layers?

He stood up behind her and said distractedly in her ear, "Sorry, Nakiri! I just needed to rest! Don't worry, I knew they wouldn't dare attack a princess." Even though she couldn't see him, she knew he had that cocky smile on his face. "Idiot," she mumbled under her breath. She felt his hands leave her as he raced away, dodging snowballs left and right.

Erina did her best to calm her breathing and she went back to work on their snowman. But where was Alice?

The white-haired girl had run up to Soma and tapped him on the shoulder.

"What's up?" He answered distractedly, as he threw a snowball back at Isami. Ryo, who was standing guard over Alice to make sure she didn't get hit, was also pelting the enemy with snowballs.

"Yukihira, I just wanted to thank you for setting this up!" She smiled innocently and Soma replied with his signature catch phrase, "It wasn't much!"

"I was just wondering why you did this? Seems like a lot of work to go through, no?" She tilted her head curiously, trying to seem as casual as possible. Soma was too invested in this snowball fight to really think about his words, not that he usually did anyways, and laughed, "It totally was! But I think it was worth it. Everyone's having a good time, even Nakiri."

Alice saw the slightest blush hint his cheeks and she pushed further, "Oh yes, she's having a wonderful time. She really wanted it to snow this year, so this is like a dream come true for her."

Soma smiled widely, "I'm glad to hear it. I kinda did this for her-well, I guess all of you. I heard her talking about it the other day and I thought it would be fun!" He ducked and rolled, and Alice dragged Ryo to shield her as she followed him.

"So she inspired you to do it?" Alice prompted, eyes wide.

Soma shrugged, hurling a snowball towards Akira. "I guess," he laughed, "I just wanted her to be happy."

Alice's face broke into a cunning smile at this news. "Well, I can't speak for my cousin, but you've made me very happy. Thank you," she sang as she trudged back through the snow to Erina and Hisako. She dragged them behind their lumpy snowman and recalled her conversation with Soma word for word.

Erina sputtered, "N-No way, he didn't do this for me! It was for all of us!" Alice and Hisako gave her a look of disbelief. Hisako placed a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder, "I think he did it for you, Erina. This is the most romantic thing to ever happen outside of fiction. What are you going to do?"

Erina gaped at her open-mouthed. "Nothing! I don't even like him," she hissed, "He's the most annoying, irritating, stupid boy I've ever met!"

Hisako stated, "You could do much worse. He's the first seat, son of Asura, your idol, and he's pretty easy on the eyes."

Erina gasped at her friend's openness and Alice nodded in agreement. "She's right, he's perfect for you. Just admit it! You like him!"

All three girls stuck their heads out from behind the snowman to watch Soma. He had that adorable smile on his face as he was charging the other team with Ryo and Yuki. Erina couldn't deny that there was something magnetic about him. To her great confusion, she liked the feeling of his hands on her. She liked it when he whispered so shamelessly in her ear. She liked him.

The boy who had impressed her with his cooking.

The boy who had saved her from her father.

The boy who had made it snow for her.


	4. New Years: Part 1

"Gate B36 is now ready to board," a voice announced over the intercom.

"Is that yours?" Joichiro Saiba asked over the phone to his son, who was currently sitting in the airport waiting to board a plane to Paris. "Yeah, I should probably go soon," Soma answered as he checked his ticket to see which boarding class he was. Group 4, all the way at the end. _I guess I have some time._

His dad had called him only two days ago telling him he wouldn't be able to come home for New Year's as they had planned because the restaurant was extremely short-staffed. Instead, Joichiro offered to buy Soma a (very expensive) ticket to come visit him, and Soma eagerly accepted. It had been a while since he'd been to Europe, and he was especially excited to visit the original Shino's and see his old master. "Hey pops, one more thing," Soma commented before he hung up. "Uh, when you and mom met… was it love at first sight? Or, like, did she totally hate your guts?"

Joichiro roared with laughter through the phone, "Ah, so you're wondering about girls now? I always knew the time would come sooner or later! My boy's becoming a man! Let's see, is this about a certain little blonde princess?"

Soma replied heatedly, "Hey, I'm already a man! And NO! This has nothing to do with her, I was just wondering!" He wasn't ready to discuss his feelings yet with someone else before he understood them himself.

His father calmed down and replied honestly, "It wasn't love at first sight with your mom and me. We went through a lot to get to where we could openly say we loved each other. But the thing about love is that it isn't black and white. You can show love through all kinds of ways. Some people's way is through arguing," he hinted. "And if it isn't exactly love at first sight, there's always hope to get there. For your mom and me, we started out as indifferent, then we came to have mutual respect as we got to know each other. That respect turned into liking each other as friends, and that eventually turned to love."

Soma nodded and sighed, admitting, "That's good to know, I guess. I just feel like I'm going crazy. Lately it feels like everything I do has something to do with her. Every one of my actions is either to impress her or protect her. Is this what a crush is?"

His father shook his head, chuckling. "I think it might be a little more than that, kiddo. But hey, if what I've heard is true, you're doing better than you think!"

"What do you mean, what you've heard?"

Joichiro laughed, "Oops, said too much. Nevermind that, just keep being yourself. You'll be fine." The background noise on the phone intensified as someone had dropped a plate. His next words were rushed, "Ooh, I gotta go, the restaurant needs me. See you soon!" Dial tone. Soma chuckled as he put his phone away. In his vocabulary, soon wasn't the 13 hours it would take to travel from Tokyo to Paris.

 _So, I still have a chance…_ Soma decided to take his father's advice. Respect, like, love. Seems easy enough! While it took the blonde heiress a year to respect him, he felt certain she at least liked him as a friend by now. Making her fall in love with him should be easy! If his dad could do it with his mom, he was sure he could pull it off. _How hard can it be?_ As Soma daydreamed his plan of action, a familiar voice snapped him out of his reverie.

"I already told you, I'm in Group 1," an irritated female voice came from the help desk. Soma's head snapped up in time to see steam coming out of Erina Nakiri's ears. "Yes, ma'am, please just stand in line and we will have you on the plane in no time," a very frightened employee whimpered under her glare. "But Group 4 is already boarding!" She shrieked, unconcerned with how much attention she was drawing to herself.

"Oi, Nakiri! What are you doing here?" Soma greeted as he approached her with his carry-on in hand, heart racing a little faster than necessary. Erina's eyes popped wide open as she saw Soma. "Y-Yukihira? I should be asking you the same question! Are you stalking me or something?" She stared warily at him as if he had some sort of contagious disease. "I'm just trying to board this plane, but I missed my boarding group and now I won't be able to fly to Paris and I'll be stuck here until the next fight and-"

Soma raised his hands as if to calm a wild horse, "Whoa, it's fine! If doesn't really matter what boarding group you are, they'll let you on the plane as long as you have your ticket. Just get in line," he smiled as he led her away from the help desk and towards the line to board.

"Is this your first time on something other than a private jet?" He teased, and she grimaced in response. "If you must know, yes! Alice took the last jet without telling me, forcing me to go through this abhorrent process." Soma's jaw dropped at her snooty comment but smiled nonetheless. "Welcome to the transportation of the masses! One of us, one of us!" He chanted playfully, and she growled in response, "What are you even doing here?"

Soma replied cheekily, "Oh, you were right. I'm stalking you." Erina's eyes widened, and he laughed, "God, Nakiri, no. Not everything I do is for you." They both blushed thinking of the last thing he had done for her. He had made it snow for her a few days ago during their Secret Santa exchange. "My dad was supposed to come here but the restaurant he's working in now is super short-staffed, so he had to stay in Paris. He bought me a ticket to come visit him instead! I'll be there for the next couple of days," he explained.

Soma stared her up and down for a few moments, and Erina blushed under his examination. "Can I help you?" She snapped, and he asked, "Aren't you gonna be uncomfortable in those clothes? This is a 13-hour plane ride."

She glanced around to see everyone else dressed in leggings, t-shirts, and flip flops. Erina on the other hand was wearing a cashmere sweater dress and high heeled boots, a perfectly acceptable option for her roomy, temperature-controlled private jet. "I'm never uncomfortable," she stated confidently, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

While Soma highly doubted she would be as comfortable as she claimed, she did look gorgeous. Everyone was staring at the supermodel who was flying commercial.

* * *

They finally had their boarding passes scanned and they made their way onto the plane. Erina found her seat quickly, as she was first class. Soma helped her with her extremely heavy carry-on and checked his ticket. His seat was all the way in the back. "Well, I guess I'll see you later," he smiled, and she nodded, feeling strangely bittersweet about him leaving.

That sadness was quickly replaced by amusement as she watched Soma wedge himself between two large, gruff-looking men at the back of the plane near the bathrooms. She giggled as she thought of how his annoying antics would not go over well with his seatmates.

The plane took off, and Erina looked out the window to say goodbye to her now-tiny city. In her mind she did some quick mental math; if it was 7 PM now, the plane should land around 8 AM, and with the time change, that meant it would be midnight when they landed. Although they had already dimmed the cabin lights, she was glad she had brought her pink silk eye mask with her. She reclined her seat back as far as it would go and slipped the eye mask luxuriously over her tired eyes. Too bad it didn't protect her ears from the noise.

Rowdy laughter was coming from the back of the plane! Erina banged her fists against her armrests and whipped her head around to stare at the source of the ruckus. _Oh my god._ It seemed like the last 5 rows or so were having a huge party, with Soma passing snacks around and riveting his audience with jokes.

"…so obviously I had to challenge him," she could hear Soma explaining loudly. Everyone's attention was turned towards the redhead's lively story-telling and animated gestures.

The huge, scary guys on his left and right were absolutely enthralled by his stories and were laughing the loudest, banging on the seats in front of them and wiping away their tears. Soma caught Erina's glare and waved cheerfully in response.

"Do you know that girl, Yukihira?" The man on his left asked in a deep voice. Soma nodded, "Yeah, she's the girl from the story! She's God's Tongue!" Everyone's heads snapped to stare at Erina and she stared back in confusion and terror. "Whoa," his audience collectively murmured.

Erina, who couldn't hear any of the actual details of his story, turned back in her seat, annoyed for no reason. Why was he always stirring up trouble wherever he went? Ugh, so maddening! She stuffed earplugs in and put her eye mask back on. There. Now there was no way he would be able to distract her!

A few minutes of silence later, she felt something warm tickling her neck. Breathing. She yelped and tore off her eye mask to see Soma sitting next to her with his face only inches away. He said something inaudible, and she tore out her earplugs.

"What?!" She screamed, and he exclaimed, "Ohhh, you had earplugs in! I kept saying your name over and over again. I thought you were just ignoring me."

Erina retorted, "So your plan was to invade my personal space and wait until I got mad enough to stop ignoring you?" Soma nodded, an adorable smile on his face. "That's what usually works."

"Go back to your seat, Yukihira." Erina grumbled, touching the place on her neck where she'd felt his gentle breath.

Soma groaned, "But the seats are so tiny back there, and this seat is so much nicer!" He wiggled around in his seat as if to show her how much room there was, and she reluctantly giggled at his silliness. "Besides, wouldn't it be more fun to sit together?" He asked innocently, already reclining his seat.

Erina just rolled her eyes in response, but the slight upturn of the corner of her mouth gave Soma the answer he had wanted.

A flight attendant came by just then. "Sir, you have to stay in your assigned seat. Please go back." Erina grinned at the sad look on his face and almost felt bad for him. Soma stood reluctantly and turned to go but stopped. "Wait…" He began, an idea forming in his head, "If I give you a snack that blows your mind, will you let me stay here?"

The flight attendant shrugged. _How good can this snack really be?_

Soma made his way toward the back of his plane where he had his carry-on and brought it up to the first-class section. He pulled out a small insulated lunchbox and as he unzipped it, the mouthwatering scent of fried chicken wafted through the plane. "Tada! I present to you the Sumire Karaage Roll! Totally portable and totally delicious!" He passed the flight attendant the roll and waited. She took a bite. _Suddenly, she was skydiving! She had jumped from a karaage roll airplane, freefalling and soaring through the sky as pieces of delicious saucy chicken circled her, creating an intricate skydiving formation around her. She whooped and cheered as she twirled through the air! She pulled her parachute and a fresh piece of lettuce popped out. Sailing over the river of sauce, she landed gently on the wrap._

"So? Did ya like it?" Soma asked expectantly after watching her finish the whole snack in a matter of seconds. "Kid, you can fly the damn plane for all I care! Sit anywhere you want!" The flight attendant exclaimed blissfully, hand over her heart. "I have to go sit down," she muttered, still winded from her experience.

Soma pushed his carry-on in the overhead compartment right next to Erina's and he sat back down in his now-earned seat.

Erina teased, "Don't be too proud of yourself, Yukihira. All she's had to eat for the past couple of weeks has probably been airplane food. Anything would have been a welcome change."

Soma grinned, "Come on, Nakiri. Even you would've liked this one. Nikumi helped me with the recipe!"

Erina cocked an eyebrow, "You worked on this together?"

Soma responded offhandedly, "Yeah, last summer I think? I asked her to come help me save the shopping district near my house from their competitor."

Erina commented tersely, "She went to your town? I didn't realize you two were so close."

Something about her voice was weird, but Soma just shrugged, "We're good friends. She helps me out a lot since she knows so much about meat."

Jealousy had never been something Erina had to worry about until she met Soma. She was getting pretty sick of this new feeling.

Erina's tone was clipped, "I'm going to take a nap. Don't disturb me unless the plane is going down." She stuffed the earplugs back in and lowered the eye mask back onto her face, trying her best to erase Soma from her mind. The boy could only stare in confusion wondering if he had said something.

* * *

 _8:23 PM_

Erina woke up shortly after, unable to sleep. Just knowing that he was sitting so close to her put her on edge. She frustratedly lifted her eye mask to see Soma adjusting his individual overhead light to shine directly on a stack of papers on his tray table.

"Don't tell me you're actually doing work?" She joked, not knowing the redhead to ever do his own paperwork.

Soma smirked, "I know, but this isn't Elite Ten stuff. These are all the people that have challenged me to Shokugekis." He dropped the mountain of papers heavily on the table for extra emphasis and Erina's eyebrows shot up. There must have been at least 50 pages!

"Are you reading through them all and finding the ones with satisfactory terms?" She asked, and he shook his head, "Nah, I'm just signing them all. Thinking about cooking and fighting all these people has me fired up! Gotta keep training if I'm gonna be the best!" He signed the top sheet and pulled it to the back of the stack.

Erina narrowed her eyes at him, "Yukihira, do not overexert yourself. It's important to take breaks." She recalled the countless times Hisako had warned her of the same thing and cringed; why was she mothering him like this?

Soma just smiled, "I'll be fine. Speak for yourself though. Knowing you, you'll be working this entire break." Erina stated dryly, "Hmm, true. I suppose I'm not one to talk. Fine, challenge everyone for all I care."

She glanced at the new contract he was signing and scoffed, "Is that your signature? It looks like you signed with your non-dominant hand and your eyes were closed."

She couldn't help but laugh at his stunned face and he laughed back, "Wow, okay, let's see your perfect signature, Princess." He handed her the pen and she signed her name grandiosely on a sheet of scratch paper.

"Damn, that's pretty good," he admitted, chuckling. "Your name is just easier!"

He tried writing her name and she giggled, "Nope, still ugly. You really need to work on your penmanship."

She stole the pen back from him and began writing his name but he playfully nudged her hand so she messed up. "Yukihira!" She laughed at his innocent expression and he pulled out another pen.

They began fighting over space on the paper and nudging their hands off, causing Erina to blush at the contact. Her blush only intensified when she saw him write "Erina Yukihira". Soma nodded as if he were deep in thought, "Yeah just like I thought. It's your last name. That's what's wrong."

Erina's face couldn't have gotten any redder if she'd tried. Was this flirting? Was he flirting with her?! Erina stuttered, "I-In your dreams! The only way that would happen is if you started calling me Mother." It took him a while to get it, but when he finally did, he groaned, "Nooo, I did not need that mental image, Nakiri! I always knew you had a crush on my dad!"

She laughed at his pained expression, exclaiming, "I'm just messing with you, Yukihira. I do not have a crush on your dad!" She half-lied, remembering how enamored she used to be with the much-older chef.

Soma just shook his head, ignoring her claim. "Listen, if it's talent you're after, my dad says I'm better than he was at my age." Erina stared in disbelief at this but Soma went on, "And if you're just into him for his good looks, I swear I'll look like that in 20 years."

He shrugged as if it couldn't be helped and pulled out his phone, scrolling through his photos. "This was him when he was our age." He showed her a picture of a 17-year-old Saiba and it hit her like a ton of bricks. _They could be twins!_ Apart from the hair, they looked nearly identical.

She crossed her arms and tried to stuff down the fluttery feeling in her stomach at all his flirtatious comments. The darkness in the airplane and his seat being so close to hers didn't help.

"Then I suppose only time will tell. Call me in 20 years if it's true," she muttered quietly, and he was a little shocked she was playing along. He teased, "Wow, who knew Erina Nakiri had game. Alright, if you're not married to the CEO of some big food corporation in 20 years, I'll give you a call." She rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless, keeping her vision anywhere but on his face.

Soma brought his iPad out and began sorting through the movies he had downloaded in the airport. As he plugged his headphones in and scrolled through the selection, he could feel Erina looking at his screen.

"I downloaded a ton of movies for the flight here and back so I wouldn't be bored." He took one of his headphones out and offered it to her, "Wanna watch with me?"

She shook her head and blushed; that was basically the same as sharing two straws in a milkshake!

He grinned and tried again, "Do you have your own headphones? I have one of those headphone jack splitters, so we can both watch." She reluctantly pulled hers out and scooted closer, nervously noticing he moved closer to her as well. He turned the overhead light off.

* * *

 _11:06 PM_

Too much time had passed since Erina had moved; she had been so conscious of Soma's proximity she didn't dare move a muscle. The blonde discreetly stretched her arms to get her blood flowing, deciding it was safe to put her arm on the armrest between them. Soma noticed the change, and he was glad.

The movies had been a good and bad idea. Good because it kept them entertained and he got to scoot a little closer to her, but bad because he couldn't talk to her! He was anxious to tease her again. He just loved to see the little pout and angry glare she gave him whenever she tried to look upset. Her movement gave him an excuse to mess with her again.

He casually put his arm next to hers on the armrest, playfully nudging it off. She giggled as she tried to regain control, but it was no use. Since when was he so strong? She put all her weight behind pushing his arm off and he pretended to do the same. Her face was so close to his that it was hard for him to even concentrate; all he wanted to do was lean in and kiss that adorable mouth of hers.

Instead, Soma laughed at how cute she was when she was trying so hard, "Nakiri, this feels like a newborn kitten is pushing against me."

She pouted and doubled down on her efforts. It only made a mild effect, and unfortunately, she still couldn't push him off.

He grinned charmingly, "Okay, fine. Since you made such a valiant effort, we can share." He made space for her, knowing fully well she wouldn't accept that. As he predicted, she crossed her arms and turned her head toward the window.

"No, keep it! I don't want your pity," she replied crossly, and Soma couldn't help but chuckle. "Seriously?" He asked, and she made no reply.

"Fine, no armrest for either of us then!" He announced, pushing the divider up between their seats. Erina turned to face him, and she saw him lazily reclined in his seat. Even in the dark, she could see his bright golden eyes held the hint of a smile. She felt a chill go through her body as he stared at her almost seductively.

"Fine," she mumbled, mimicking his posture in her own seat. Her pulse raced furiously as he moved even closer to her than before now that there was no armrest to separate them. He un-paused the movie and let his arm sink comfortably next to hers. To his great pleasure, she didn't move away like he had expected.

They continued half-watching the movie, both too preoccupied with how the others' arm was barely brushed against their own. Every time Soma laughed, Erina could feel the vibration go through her own body and it left her head swimming. Every time he stretched, she waited in suspense until he settled back as close as he had before. She knew Soma had no concept of personal space, so she tried not to read into it too much, but it was hard. He had been flirting with her earlier, right? And now this? Maybe Hisako and Alice were right, and he _did_ like her! But even if he did, what did that mean for them? She was nowhere near ready to admit her feelings.

* * *

 _1:54 AM_

"I think I'm calling it," Erina yawned, pulling her headphones out. "I'm going to try to get some sleep, Yukihira. I suggest you do the same." She wasn't used to sleeping like this on a plane; her private jet had a bed. How did people sleep in chairs? She leaned back into her seat and waited for sleep to come, but she was far too uncomfortable. Soma watched out of the corner of his eye as she shifted around in her seat, unable to stay in any position for more than 5 minutes.

"Can't sleep?" He finally asked when she opened her tired eyes in annoyance.

"I'm not accustomed to sleeping upright like this. I don't know how anyone can get any rest!"

Soma smiled sympathetically; he knew how much she valued her sleep. He grabbed an extra pillow and blanket from the empty seats across the aisle and put the pillow in his lap. "If you want, you can stretch out and sleep here, I don't mind. I know it's still kinda cramped but it's better than the other way," he offered.

Erina's deep blush was hidden by the darkness in the plane and she exclaimed, "No, don't be ridiculous! What would people think?!"

Soma looked around at the empty first-class section. "What people? There's no one up here, and we don't even know anyone on this plane. Think about it," he continued casually. "Everyone we know right now is thousands of miles away. I won't tell them," he shrugged. Erina was torn. On the one hand she was exhausted, and she knew she couldn't sleep in an upright position like a barn animal. On the other hand, how inappropriate!

She glanced around inconspicuously to see who was watching. Soma was right; nobody besides the flight attendants had passed by their seats since they had taken off, the cabin was dark, and they knew no one on the plane. Would it really be so bad to get a couple hours of sleep? She grimaced, shifting her legs up on her seat. "If you tell anyone about this…" she grumbled, moving her hair as she laid her head on top of the pillow. Soma chuckled, "Don't worry, I won't. Go to sleep."

He watched as she closed her eyes and pulled the blanket tighter towards her. After a few moments, her chest rose and fell at a steady rhythm, indicating she was falling asleep more heavily. _She's so cute_ , Soma thought, his heart racing. _Maybe pops was right. This may be more than a crush…_

Just then, the flight attendant came by pushing a cart. "Hold on," Soma whispered to the woman as he moved Erina's hair. It was so long it spilled from his lap to the floor and he didn't want it to get caught in the wheels of the cart. _Whoa_ , he thought as he moved her golden locks back onto the seat. Her hair felt like the finest silk, yet it was rich and heavy. _Even her hair feels expensive!_ He laughed to himself as he tucked it safely back. He couldn't help but run a hand over her head, intoxicated with the smooth feeling. He slowly combed his fingers through her soft strands, totally entranced by the sleeping beauty before him. He could stay like this forever.

"What are you doing?" Erina murmured, half-asleep. Soma's hand froze, and he stumbled out an apology. "Sorry, Nakiri. I didn't mean to wake you. I just went to move your hair off the floor and it was just so fun to play with."

He moved his hand away, but she purred dreamily, "It's fine, I suppose." It was more than fine-it felt amazing. Erina loved having her hair played with, but she wasn't about to admit that.

Soma hesitantly moved his hand back to her hair and continued stroking her hair. It felt like a silk waterfall in his hands. Like a golden river slipping through his fingers. "Like spaghetti," he murmured out loud.

Erina giggled, eyes still closed. "Yukihira, I know you did not just compare my hair to food. This is like the salmon roe/stars thing all over again." Soma smiled sheepishly, "You're never going to let that go, are you?" She smirked in response, a silent _never_.

Erina quickly fell back asleep under Soma's gentle touch, somehow feeling more at peace than she thought possible. Soma also felt like this was the most natural thing in the world, comforting the girl he'd promised to save.

* * *

 _6:56 AM_

"Why are you awake?" Erina mumbled, rubbing her eyes. _Oh, he has his headphones in._ She playfully poked his cheek with her finger and he looked down at her and smiled. She repeated herself, "Why are you awake?" Soma shrugged, "It'll be midnight by the time we land. I'd rather just stay up now and pass out when I get there." Erina nodded, "So you're not a total idiot. Good to know," she teased as she slowly pushed herself back up to a sitting position.

"Only…1 more hour," Soma stated as he checked the time on his phone. "Damn, who would've thought this would be how we spent our first night together? I didn't picture it this way," he winked, and she punched him in the arm softly, "Idiot. I take back my previous comment." He just laughed and went back to listening to his music.

Just then, Erina saw two people covertly sneak out of the same bathroom. "Yukihira," she whispered and pointed to them discreetly, "They just came out of the same restroom! That's weird, right?" She looked at him, purple eyes wide. Soma stole a glance in their direction as the couple giggled and walked past them back towards the coach section. "That's bold," he chuckled, "I didn't think the mile-high club was a real thing." Erina cocked her head in confusion, "What's that?"

Soma blushed, muttering, "It's nothing, forget I said anything," but she wouldn't drop it. "Tell me!" She begged, and he said, "I don't feel comfortable telling you! Maybe you could ask Alice or Hishoko!" Erina glared and crossed her arms. _Oh no, not the pout too,_ he thought as she gave all three of her telltale signs of frustration.

"Why would I need one of them to explain it to me? It's not like-" She stopped, the gears finally turning in her head. Soma watched as realization washed over her face, and she gasped in horror. She whispered feverishly, afraid they would hear her, "They didn't!"

Amused with her reaction, Soma responded, "Sorry, princess. I think they did."

Erina gawked and picked herself up out of her seat to glare back at them.

Soma laughed quietly, "Nakiri, they're going to see you!" He pulled her back down by the arm, bringing her a little closer to himself than she was before. He didn't let go of her arm, but she seemed too distracted to notice.

"Why?! Couldn't they just…hold it?" She blurted out, eyes locked on his.

"I don't know, I guess not? I mean, when you really like someone it's probably hard to control those feelings." Soma thought back to earlier when they had been fighting over the armrest and he had desperately wanted to kiss her. Instinctively, he ran his hand down her arm before finding her hand, but he quickly let go, mentally berating himself. Here she was rebuking another couple for giving in to their desires and he couldn't even stop himself from grabbing her hand.

She flushed at the confusing act and hissed dismissively, "Unacceptable! There are reasons we have rules! If we can't control our emotions, we're no better than animals!"

Soma just grinned at her red face and stated resignedly, "You're probably right." He broke eye contact as he stared down at the hand he had wanted to take in his own. He murmured, more to himself than to her, "But what's so wrong about giving in to instincts from time to time?" Soma leaned in as if to tell her a secret and asked softly, inches away from her, "Wouldn't it be nice to just act without thinking of the consequences for once?"

His soft mutterings made Erina feel as if she were in a trance. Her breathing became shallower and she couldn't tear her eyes from the boy in front of her. She had found herself leaning in unconsciously, hanging on his every word. She soaked in every detail of his handsome face, from the scar on his eyebrow to his slightly parted lips. She involuntarily recalled the feeling of his fingers tangled in her hair and how they had run down her arm so lightly. How his hands had gripped her waist so firmly. How his lips brushed her ear whenever he whispered teasingly. The memories of past touches sent shivers down her spine. _It would be nice to throw caution to the wind…_

Just then, the cabin lights came on. It was 7 AM, and the pilot came on the intercom, "Ladies and gentlemen, we are about an hour away from our destination. Local time is currently 11 PM, weather is 3C. We'll begin our descent in roughly 30 minutes."

With the return of the lights, the spell was broken. Soma and Erina hastily broke apart, ignoring each other for the duration of the short flight. Soma could kick himself for being that forward; his plan had been to just flirt with her and ease her into it, not whatever the hell that was! _She's never going to talk to me again. What came over me?_ She was just so cute it literally broke his brain.

Erina was also trying her best to suppress her inner turmoil: to kiss or not to kiss? She didn't WANT to like him, but she did! She really did. Everything about him was absolutely magnetic; his cooking, his looks, his carefree attitude. She wanted nothing more than to kill him and kiss him at the same time. Was that an option? On top of that, how did she know he didn't act this way around other girls? Ikumi apparently went to his hometown; who knows what happened between the two of them there? Not to mention his best friend was also a girl. A sweet, pretty, and patient girl. He was probably playing all three of them! She crossed her arms in irritation at the thought. _Stupid Soma Yukihira._

* * *

The plane finally touched down in Paris, and the exhausted passengers shuffled off one by one. Soma and Erina made their way to baggage claim, where they waited in silence. Erina's luggage came after a few minutes, and she was surprised when Soma said, "Alright, let's go!" and began taking her things outside where her driver was supposed to pick her up. "Wait, what about your luggage?" All he had was the carry-on he brought on the plane. "I didn't check a bag," he said. They had been at the carousel for a good 20 minutes and he didn't even have a bag?

Erina grumbled, "You didn't have to wait with me then, you could've just gone." They were now waiting outside in the freezing weather. Erina could see her cold breath come out in little puffs against the dark night.

Soma blurted out, "Are you crazy? I can't just leave you here by yourself. Haven't you seen the movie Taken?!"

She smirked, "Yes, but I've traveled alone plenty of times before and I've never been 'taken'. Besides, I can take care of myself!" She put her hands on her hips defiantly, and Soma smirked. "No offense, Nakiri, but anyone could easily take you. Watch!"

He deftly picked her up and held her tucked in to his body.

"Y-Yukihira! Put me down, you-you brute!" He laughed as she wrapped her arms around him to avoid falling but sent him a menacing glare.

"This is highly inappropriate!" She stated, inches away from his face. She huffed in frustration but the blush on her cheeks and the glow in her eyes made it clear she was pleased.

Soma kept her in his arms and said, "We're at an airport in Paris, two of the most touchy-feely places in the world. Relax, if there's anywhere this is appropriate, it's here."

He gently placed her back on the concrete sidewalk and she primly adjusted her dress that had ridden up slightly. "I just wanted to show you how easy it would be to take you," he teased, his roguish smile lighting Erina's heart on her.

The frigid Parisian air and this boy made her feel so alive all of a sudden. She shot back without thinking, "Is that a threat or a promise?"

Soma's jaw dropped, and he laughed, "Don't tempt me. Keep flirting with me and you'll be in real trouble."

She blushed but grinned nonetheless, "Don't get used to it. I'm clearly delirious from lack of sleep." Her car pulled up and they moved her luggage toward the road. As the driver helped put her bags away, Soma shook his head, "Nah, it's the City of Love. Don't even try to fight it; it's no use!" Erina rolled her eyes as she got in the car. She was sad their time had come to an end. Who would've thought the plane ride would be the most exciting part of her Paris trip? She rolled her window down to say goodbye and Soma gave her a lopsided grin. "Au revoir, mademoiselle."

She giggled, "Happy new year, Yukihira. I hope you have a pleasant holiday." Soma nodded, and he stepped back to let the car take off.

As he watched it grow smaller in the distance, he thought to himself, _Happy new year, Nakiri. I hope you're ready for my resolution. This year, I'm going to make you my girlfriend._


	5. Thanksgiving

**Hey guys, this is kind of a bonus chapter/jump back in time to November! Now I know, Thanksgiving isn't celebrated outside the US, but someone commented that it would be fun to see it and I decided to write this short chapter in honor of Thanksgiving tomorrow. Hope you like it!**

* * *

"This doesn't even make sense," Shun mumbled.

Ryoko nodded her head, "I agree, we aren't American."

Megumi clasped her hands together nervously, "Soma-kun, maybe you should listen to the group."

Soma pleaded with his friends, "Come on guys! Thanksgiving is literally a holiday about food!"

Satoshi cocked his head and interjected, "Actually, I believe it's about giving thanks…Regardless, I think it's a fun idea!"

The redhead cheered: one down, seven to go. He continued, "That's the spirit! Guys, we're chefs right? Who are we to deny ourselves this awesome opportunity? It's not our fault we're not American!"

Yuki nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah, let's do it! I have the perfect turkey picked out…" She looked out the window towards her livestock and stared mercilessly at her prey.

Soma turned towards the rest of the group, "What do you say? American Thanksgiving? It's the perfect holiday for us! Besides, don't you think we have a lot to be grateful for?" He tried his best to guilt them into agreeing, staring pointedly at each one.

Shoji shrugged, "Fine by me! We can divvy up the dishes and prep for today, then meet up around 6 tomorrow for dinner." It only took a few more moments of convincing before everyone nodded. After doing some quick research, they each picked a traditional accompaniment to cook for the next day.

After the group broke apart to plan their dishes, Soma pulled his phone out and nervously stared at the contact he had pulled up. Why was he so nervous all of a sudden? He'd invited her to hang out plenty of times before, so why was his pulse racing faster with every passing second? It was that stupid idea that had popped into his head on Halloween; the one where he and Erina were together and happy and in love. How insane! Right? _I don't even like her like that!_ He shook his head as if to knock the crazy notion out of his head and called her.

He felt his heart skip a beat when she picked up. He tried his best to sound casual, "Yo, Nakiri! What are you doing tomorrow?"

She responded automatically, "It doesn't concern you. Why do you want to know?"

Soma chuckled, "Same as ever, huh? Well, if you're free, we're throwing an American-style Thanksgiving over here at the dorms! You, Alice and Hishoko are welcome to join us."

Silence from the other end. "Hello?" He asked into the phone.

"Yeah, I'm here," her voice finally came out. "This is a dumb idea. We're not American."

He laughed, "Not you too! It's literally a holiday about food! How are we not going to celebrate this?!" He really wanted her to be there. Not for any particular reason, of course.

He heard her make a sound of disapproval and his heart sank. He replied disappointedly, "Alright, no worries. Just thought I'd ask. We could've really used some of that famous Erina Nakiri cooking over here."

As he was about to say goodbye and hang up, he heard her mutter, "Wait…" She sounded hesitant as she spoke. "We'll be there."

Soma's face broke out into a giant grin and he exclaimed, "Awesome! See you tomorrow at 6!" He hung up quickly and went to work on how to cook the greatest turkey anyone had ever prepared before.

* * *

 _Thanksgiving Dinner_

Thank god Tōtsuki was a world-renowned cooking school, otherwise the stress of planning a Thanksgiving dinner in one day would have killed the teens. Whipping up a feast like this was nothing compared to their exams! In the kitchen, the friends were hard at work preparing their dishes. Soma and Yuki worked together on the turkey, Shoji and Daigo made cheesy mashed potatoes, and Megumi prepared the green bean casserole. There was cranberry sauce, gravy, sweet potatoes, and more all elaborately spread out on a nice tablecloth in the dining room.

*Ding dong*

The doorbell rang, and Ryoko rushed to answer. "Happy Thanksgiving!" She giggled as their guests entered with dishes in their hands. Alice grinned cheekily, "Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks for inviting us; this was such a fun idea!" She made her way to the kitchen to heat up her mac & cheese and Erina and Hisako laid their pies on the dining room table.

Erina could hear her friends in the kitchen greet Alice, and her stomach twisted when she heard Soma's cheery voice. _Get it together! He's an imbecile!_ She nervously ran a hand through her hair and straightened her skirt.

Soma was the first to greet Erina and Hisako. As soon as he had seen Alice, he knew Erina had to be there somewhere. His legs had carried him on their own directly in front of her. He smiled broadly and exclaimed, "Hey! Glad you came!"

She stared directly into his golden eyes and her heart fluttered at his happiness to see her. Her mind went completely blank and she couldn't speak. He was just so… cute.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Hisako cleared her throat and responded for both of them. "Thank you for inviting us, Yukihira. I hope you don't mind, we brought pie. We weren't sure what other people were already making."

Soma responded excitedly, "Pie is great! No one here made any!"

Erina's brain finally started working and she replied frustratedly, "I tried to ask you what to bring but you hung up on me too fast!"

Soma grinned, "Sorry, I got too excited about this dinner! But either way, everything you make is amazing. I already knew it wouldn't matter."

She blushed at the compliment and crossed her arms over her chest protectively.

Yuki called out for Soma from the kitchen and he excused himself to go help her with the turkey.

"What was that?" Hisako whispered, smiling at her red-faced friend.

Erina glanced at the floor, refusing to meet her eyes. She mumbled innocently, "What?"

Hisako grinned, "Really? We're going to play dumb? You should know, your acting is getting worse." She laughed at Erina's horrified expression.

"I'm not playing anything! I feel nothing for him," the blonde sniffed. Hisako rolled her eyes in response; Erina had acted this way from the day she met him. She wondered how long it would take for her friend to admit her true feelings. Hopefully not too long…

* * *

"Dinner is served!" Soma announced as he placed the golden turkey on the table. The whole table looked incredible and smelled even more intoxicating. The impressive spread left everyone's mouths watering, but before they could dig in, Satoshi interrupted. "I think we should go around the table and say what we're thankful for. I'll start. I'm so thankful for my amazing juniors and the home that we have here! I believe you've all grown so much in the past year and I'm extremely proud of each and every one of you!" He beamed lovingly at his dormmates.

One by one, they all went around the table and spoke a few words about what they were thankful for.

Nearing the end, Megumi said, "I'm thankful for my friends here. You are all truly my home away from home. I couldn't have made it this far without you guys, especially you, Soma-kun." She blushed thinking of the first time he had saved her in Chapelle's class. Soma replied to the girl on his left, "No thanks necessary, Tadokoro! I couldn't have done it without you either!"

His turn. He looked around the table with all his best friends and smiled, "I'm also thankful for the chance to be here at this school. Not everyone gets this opportunity, so I know how lucky I am to be here. I'm thankful for you guys too, obviously. You all constantly challenge me to grow and be a better chef. I'm grateful for the chance to prove it to you!"

While the group thought his words were directed towards all of them, Soma playfully nudged the knee on his right with his own under the table. Erina smirked in response to his hidden gesture and knew his declaration was for her. She wrapped up the session, saying, "I'm thankful for my family, this school we attend, and all of you for being so hospitable." She glanced around at the table and continued shakily, "I remember the end of our first year like it was yesterday. You all took in a stranger and treated me like one of your own. You fought with me to defend this school and its students, even when your expulsion was at risk. You showed me cooking doesn't have to be perfect or follow the rules. You even saved me from my father. For that, I will always be thankful." She softly nudged Soma's knee back with her own, a silent thank you only for him. He did his best to hide his smile but it was hard.

"So, let's raise a glass and toast to our weird American-style Thanksgiving dinner," she announced jokingly, wanting to draw attention away from her embarrassing confession. Everyone lifted their cups and cheered, finally signaling the beginning of dinner.

* * *

"God, I'm so full!" Yuki exclaimed, rubbing her belly as if she were pregnant.

Takumi groaned, "I have literally never eaten that much in my entire life. Americans do this every year?"

Soma laughed and held his stomach gingerly, "That was amazing though! Good job everyone, you guys really outdid yourselves."

Ryoko smiled, "That was fun! I've heard Thanksgiving is supposed to be such a stressful holiday, but this went great. We should do it again next year!"

Satoshi pointed out, "It's usually a stressful time for families because of all the cooking. But seeing as we're all chefs, it was a breeze."

Soma added, "Plus, extended family and family friends come together, and tensions can rise. You know, people talk about politics or want to know about your relationship status or whatever. It can get annoying."

Everyone shuddered at the thought of some great-aunt hounding them about whether they were in a relationship yet.

Alice pretended to pout, "Then we didn't really have an American Thanksgiving now, did we? No one even fought!" She scanned the room until her eyes met their blonde target. "Erina, when are you going to get a boyfriend?" The red-eyed girl winked playfully, and everyone laughed and turned to see how her cousin would react.

Erina growled and blushed at the same time. She snapped, "None of your business, Alice!"

Alice laughed teasingly, "Don't be like that. I'm just trying to respect their culture. There's gotta be someone, right?"

Erina flipped her hair over her shoulder and stood from the table with her plate in her hands. "No, not at the moment," she stated plainly. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go wash the dishes." She hastily grabbed the nearest plates and rushed into the kitchen to avoid Alice's interrogation.

As she began violently washing them, Soma came up next to her with the remaining plates he had collected. "Whoa, easy there! You're scrubbing so hard you're going to break them," he laughed. Her knuckles were white as she gripped the plate and vigorously scrubbed it under the hot water. "She really knows how to get to you," he chuckled as he watched the blush finally fade from her cheeks.

"Yes, she does. I don't know why she likes pushing my buttons," she admitted, setting the plate on the drying rack.

Soma teased, "Because you make it too easy. Why do you think I do it so often?"

Erina laughed dryly in response. "I should really work on that, I suppose."

He commented offhandedly as he passed her another plate, "I don't know, it's kinda cute though. The way you get so worked up about stuff."

Erina's palms grew instantly sweaty and she almost dropped the plate in surprise.

Soma continued, unaware of her reaction, "I'm almost jealous she gets more of a reaction out of you than I do."

She stared in shock. _Cute? Jealous?_ These weren't normal words he should be saying to her! She tried to control the pounding in her chest as she mulled over his words, searching for any hidden meaning. Before she could respond, the kitchen door flew open and their friends entered with the empty serving platters. Their conversation would have to wait.

They finished cleaning as a group and eventually said their goodbyes. Erina grabbed her coat to leave when Soma approached her near the entryway. "How was the turkey?" He grinned playfully, and she responded wryly, "Dry." It wasn't and they both knew it, but at this point it was more of a game for them.

"Oh well, maybe next year," he shrugged. "You know, I meant what I said back there."

Alice and Hisako approached then, coats in hand. "Ready?"

Erina nodded in response and she let them go out before her. Before slipping through the front door, she turned and locked eyes with Soma. "I know. Me too." She gave him a polite smile and closed the door behind her.

Soma tried to ignore the light, airy feeling in his heart. He smiled to himself as he walked up the stairs towards his room.

Megumi ran into Soma in the hall. "Soma-kun, what are you smiling for?" She asked, smiling back at his obvious happiness.

"Ah nothing," he responded, waving it off with his hand, "Just a lot to be thankful for."


	6. New Years: Part 2

The next day had been long. Erina had gone to the office with her grandfather to work on strategy management with some local restaurants. All she wanted to do was go out and explore the city, but instead she was stuck in meetings about pricing, franchise fees, and changing customer demographics. 6 PM rolled around, and the meetings were finally over.

Erina and her grandfather walked the restaurant owners out of the building.

Erina's heels clicked sharply down the hall as she entered the lobby. "Like we said before, you really have two main issues: Rebranding and identifying your customer target. While I personally feel your restaurant could benefit from rebranding with new innovative food options, it can also be very high cost." She swiveled around to meet them, ponytail whipping around fiercely. "Your customers' preferences are changing as well. Millennials nowadays want faster in-and-out service, which you aren't able to provide with your current set up. Find a way to offer a more creative menu along with faster service."

The restaurant owners gawked at her, "Ms. Nakiri, these are unrealistic targets. How can we afford to implement all these changes? We're just a casual eatery! Only high-margin restaurants can pull this off!"

Erina replied imperturbably, "I happen to know of a small diner who manages this with ease. They even have new specials daily, all while serving dishes quickly, maximizing their customer volume. The key? Get a good chef."

"I knew you thought I was good," a familiar voice called out from the waiting area.

Soma strolled up to Erina and the businessmen with his hands in his pockets. Her heart skipped a beat as he approached them. Erina flushed with embarrassment that he heard her. "N-not you, Yukihira! I meant Aldini Trattoria!" _What is he doing here?!_ She thought the plane ride would have been the last time they'd be seeing each other this winter break.

The businessmen stared in awe at the kid who managed to fluster Erina Nakiri. Her red face and stuttering were a total 180 from the merciless and composed businesswoman she had been a few moments ago.

Erina's grandfather greeted Soma cheerfully and Soma returned the greeting, "Yo, what's up, gramps?!" _I hate that he and grandfather are so chummy_ , Erina thought aggravatedly. She glared as Soma introduced himself to the business men.

She regained her composure and asked politely through gritted teeth and a fake smile, "What are you doing here, Yukihira? How did you even know we were here?"

Soma answered, "Your gramps and I were snapchatting." Her jaw dropped to the floor as she turned to face her grandfather. Senzaemon smiled, "I enjoy the filters, particularly the dog one."

Soma continued undisturbed, "He said you guys were done for the day, and I thought you might wanna go by Shino's with me." Her blush came back in full force at receiving a dinner invitation in front of her business associates and grandfather.

She was about to decline, when her grandfather cut her off. "Of course, she can! Go, I can handle things from here!" Erina responded, "But we still have so much work to do! I haven't even started on the budget proposals and-" Her grandfather waved off her excuses with a careless hand. "It's okay, Erina. I can finish those. It's already evening, and you've been working all day. You're young, go have fun."

Soma noticed her hesitation and said, "C'mon, think of it as an educational experience!"

Erina scoffed, "How so?"

He replied with an innocent smile, "We're Tōtsuki students going to visit a Tōtsuki alum. It really can't get more educational than that."

She sighed, unable to fight both him and her grandfather. "Fine, we can go," she muttered under her breath. She said goodbye to the businessmen and her grandfather and followed the redhead outside into the freezing weather.

"It's so cold!" She exclaimed as the wind picked up and chilled her to the bone. She hugged herself in an attempt to keep warm, but it was futile. Soma smirked, "Why didn't you bring a better coat?" He stared at her pencil skirt, button up shirt and trench coat critically. Erina glared, "I wasn't planning on leaving the office and I had a car waiting for me in the parking lot!"

Soma sighed, "Alright, let's go back to your place first so you can change. Sound good?"

* * *

"Whoa, you guys are staying here? It's like a castle!" Soma stared in awe at the luxurious 5-star hotel Erina had led him to. The grand entrance was decked out in glitter and holiday decorations, with a giant shimmering tree in the center of the entrance.

She smiled and rolled her eyes as they entered the elevator. She answered, "We do a lot of business here in Paris so it just made more sense to invest in something worth our while."

Soma looked at her confused, "What do you mean invest? Don't tell me you own a room here?"

She remarked casually, "More like the whole hotel."

Soma whistled under his breath. _I had to fall for the princess, didn't I?_

They got off on the top floor, and while Soma had expected a hallway with rooms, but they had actually stepped into a luxurious living room. Soma gaped at her, "No way! Is this whole floor yours?!"

She grinned at his stunned expressions as he wandered around and took in the sight of her incredible apartment. "Grandfather let me have the top floor," she shrugged, taking her light coat off and heading towards her bedroom. "I'll be out in a few minutes. Try not to break anything," she warned.

Soma muttered, "No promises," under his breath, already barely catching a Ming dynasty vase he had decided to inspect and subsequently dropped. After a few more moments of exploring the vast living room and kitchen, Soma plopped down on the plush couch and waited.

Erina finally emerged, dressed as if she were going out into a snowstorm. Soma couldn't help but laugh, "Nakiri, why are you dressed like we're going to the North Pole?"

Erina pouted, fully decked out in her puffy jacket, gloves, scarf, and earmuffs. She yelled, "Why are you making fun of me?! I get cold easily! Y-you'll be jealous when you're freezing and I'm nice and warm." She tried to cross her arms over her chest, but her jacket was too thick and wouldn't let her. She settled for planting her arms firmly on her hips and giving him a vicious glare.

Soma just chuckled and nodded his head in agreement, "I forgot you run cold."

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously and muttered, "How did you know that?" She began fighting with her jacket as she was having trouble zipping it with all the layers constricting her movement.

Soma picked himself up from the couch and strolled over to her, the smile still lingering on his face. "May I?" He grinned at her sweaty face from her struggle. She reluctantly nodded, an adorable pout forming on her face as she turned her head to the side in order to avoid eye contact. He helped her adjust her layers of clothing and gently untucked her scarf from her jacket and hair.

He finally answered her earlier question as if it were obvious, "You wear stockings year-round. Every time we're in a council meeting you turn up the heater. When you were living with us at Polar Star, you made me move your bed to the other side of the room because it was under a vent. Do I even need to continue?"

How did he remember all these things about her? Erina was surprised that he had picked up on so many little details. She knew Soma was incredibly observant and astute when it came to food, but with people? Not so much. So how did he know such an insignificant detail about her?

He continued to tease playfully, "You're always cold, Nakiri. Must be why they call you the Ice Queen."

Normally that kind of comment would have annoyed her, but she just smirked in response. She knew there was no malice behind his words; if anything, she almost enjoyed his teasing. It gave her an opportunity to put him back in his place.

"And you're always warm," she commented, recalling how he had taken off his jacket at the beach for her. "Must be all that hot air in your head."

Soma laughed in agreement and muttered, "Must be." He was also pleasantly surprised that she had known this about him. He figured she didn't bother to learn anything about anyone other than Alice or Hisako.

Her breath hitched as he picked up one of her gloved hands delicately. "Gloves would've been a good idea though," he admitted, stroking his thumb over her fingers absentmindedly.

A small voice in her brain screamed, _Pull your hand away!_

A much louder voice yelled back in response, _No!_

Soma noticed the shocked expression on her face and he abruptly dropped her hand and blushed. He turned back towards the elevator and called over his shoulder, "Ready to go?"

* * *

Once they were outside, it was nearly 6:30. Erina paused to pull her phone out to google the directions to Shino's, but Soma stopped her. He asked, "Do you want to go right now? Most people in Europe don't even have dinner until like 9 so it'll probably be empty."

She replied a little irritatedly, "Well what are we supposed to do until then?"

Soma grinned widely and lifted his hands up as if to show off all of Paris. "Anything we want! Isn't there anything you wanted to check out while you were here?"

Erina scoffed, "Obviously! I just didn't think I'd get the chance to actually see any of it."

Soma smiled, "Now's your chance, Princess. Let's go!" He grabbed her hand and began tugging her down the street. Erina didn't pull her hand away as she didn't want to get lost, but she did exclaim, "Where are we going?!"

He shrugged, "I don't know, but this way seems like a good start. I'm sure we'll find something!"

She worried aloud, "But what if we get lost?"

Soma turned around and gave her a cheeky smile, "C'mon Nakiri. One person not knowing where they're going is lost, but two people? Now that's an adventure."

* * *

And adventure, they did. They admired the French architecture of the city which made them feel as though they had stepped into another world. They wandered down the cold winding streets, with street lamps and store fronts decorated with garland and twinkling lights. They strolled past couture fashion boutiques and poked their heads into warm bakeries to escape the cold. They even split a chocolate crepe from a stand in the street, which Erina had to admit was delicious.

As they wandered aimlessly throughout Paris, Erina found that not only did she not mind Soma's company, she actually enjoyed it. When she wasn't stressed out from school and work and her responsibilities, she found his carefree attitude was like a breath of fresh air. He pulled her left and right without a plan, and yet she followed him. Was this how it felt to just live in the moment? Did he do this all the time? How refreshing; how freeing it was to be so unburdened.

She didn't even mind the way his hand held onto hers when he was pulling her in another direction in the open street. Here, everyone hugged and kissed and held hands! On top of that, Soma's words from the plane came back to her. _Everyone I know is thousands of miles away right now… Nobody has to know!_ So, as she sipped on her hot chocolate in the café they had slipped into, Erina allowed herself to just be comfortable for once in her entire life.

 _Who the hell cares?_ She laughed to herself, thinking about how fate had put her in this foreign country with the only boy in the entire world who didn't treat her the way she hated being treated. Like some unreachable prize on a pedestal miles into the sky. Oh no, Soma Yukihira didn't think of her like that. Her status was very attainable in his eyes. This was something that had resolutely infuriated her from the moment she had met him, but only because it was something new-a change- a wrench in the gears of her brainwashing. Now that she was free from her father's abusive thinking, the idea of someone actively catching up to her excited her. It only motivated her to be better.

Soma had also noticed the change in her attitude. She seemed lighter somehow… less intense than usual. He recognized the part of her that Senzaemon had told him about: how when she was a little girl, she was full of laughter. And while he already liked the Erina from before, he really enjoyed seeing this side of her as well. She didn't recoil when he grabbed her hand to guide her along the narrow alleyways and she didn't blow up when he made a dumb joke. And he had to admit, seeing her all dressed up in her warm clothing made her look especially cute. He felt himself falling deeper and deeper as he stared at her from across the table, hiding his smile in his cup of warm chai.

She must've seen the smile in his eyes because she asked, "What?"

He just said the first thing that came to his mind and lied, "You've got some hot chocolate on your face." He watched as her face grew red and he couldn't help but laugh. Even if she was slightly more carefree, he still knew how to push her buttons. He raised a hand to her face and gently wiped the invisible drink from the corner of her mouth with his thumb, slightly skimming her plump bottom lip. It took every ounce of self-control he had not to lean across the small table and bring her soft lips to his. _I'm in big trouble_ , he thought as he immediately brought his hand back.

She stuttered, completely embarrassed by his touch, "U-uh, I think we can probably head over to Shino's now. It's late enough for dinner." She finished her drink quickly and walked out of the café hastily, letting the cold air hit her in the face. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm herself.

Unbeknown to Soma, it had also taken her self-control not to act on her feelings. As soon as she had felt his ticklish caress near her mouth, she had instinctively parted her lips, wanting to- what? Kiss him? _Ugh!_ She hated that she could barely control herself now that she'd admitted to liking him. She had always known he was attractive, but that hadn't made a difference before because he was the bane of her existence. And now that they weren't enemies anymore, but friends-well, it made his gorgeous honey-colored eyes and flaming red hair harder to ignore. The friendlier they got, the more she wanted to run her fingers through his hair and feel his lips brush her ear teasingly.

She had finally succeeded in controlling her beating heart when Soma stepped out of the café to join her.

As they walked to Shino's, the pair couldn't help but admire the city. The Christmas decorations were still up, and every tree glittered with twinkling lights. The narrower passageways even had lights and garland strung over the street between the buildings, creating the illusion of a winter wonderland tunnel. They had hardly noticed when they had stopped right in front of their destination.

The inside of Shino's was luxurious and the height of sophistication. Soma could count the number of times he'd been in a restaurant of this caliber on one hand. After participating in the Stagliare in Tokyo, he had already come to expect this level of perfection from Koijiro Shinomiya, but this was something else.

The hostess sat them down in a rather romantic, dimly lit booth and passed them the menus. Soma couldn't help but restlessly bounce his leg up and down as he watched Erina's purple eyes skim the menu. _Come on, pick it!_ He thought anxiously, a slow smile creeping up his face.

Erina didn't notice him, and muttered absentmindedly, "What are you going to get?" She flipped through the pages until she spotted something delicious-sounding. "This sounds good, the _Cailles farcies au riz aux œuf façon 'Garçon effronté'."_ She closed her menu and glanced up to find him beaming uncontrollably.

She hissed self-consciously, "What?" Did she have something on her face again?

Soma grinned, "Nothing! Definitely order that. I've heard it's really good. The best thing on the menu!" He continued smiling at her mischievously and Erina glared. It wasn't like anything here was bad, right? This wasn't some convoluted plan to trick her into eating something disgusting like his squid creations? No, Shinomiya was a professional. He would never!

When the time came to order, she hesitantly told the waitress what she wanted while eyeing Soma suspiciously, and he just ordered the special of the evening in perfect French.

"You speak French?" She cocked an eyebrow at him in astonishment. He waved his hand and answered uncertainly, "Un peu. I learned mainly food and cooking-related words during my Stagliare last year. I used to speak it pretty well from all the times my dad took us along with him during his work, but I've forgotten most of it."

The blonde nodded appreciatively. She spoke French perfectly, but it was still pretty impressive to see him do it. She had to admit, it was a bit of a turn on.

They began talking about all the places they'd been and still wanted to travel. Erina wasn't surprised to hear his ambitious plans to open restaurants all over the world (she gawked and debated with him when he said he wanted to open his first restaurant in New York, claiming it was way cooler than Paris). She smiled when she heard him mention a few locations she'd had in mind as well. They talked about things to do in those cities, which led to talking about their interests. As they joked and shared, Erina found herself laughing more than she had in her entire life. She felt downright giddy in his presence.

Even when they were first years, she'd always felt a strange fluttering in her stomach whenever he was around. She thought it was hatred and had usually channeled that burst of energy into criticizing him or yelling at him for nothing at all. And while she still couldn't control herself from nervously yelling when he flustered her, she found that she also couldn't help but giggle nonstop in his presence.

Soma loved her laugh. He would do anything to hear it. He loved the way her eyes twinkled playfully when she would shut him down with some witty comment and the way she blushed whenever he said something even slightly flirtatious. How she managed to be so confident and fiery one minute but demure the next was beyond him.

Finally, the food arrived. The waitress gently placed the beautifully decorated dish in front of Erina and her mouth instantly watered. As she cut into the roasted quail, golden risotto spilled out. Soma's eyes widened with excitement as he watched her take a bite.

"Mmmm," she moaned in delight, fully savoring the amazing flavors. She asked before taking another bite, "This is delicious, do you want to try some?"

Soma exploded out of his seat and yelled, much to the disturbance of the whole restaurant, "Yes! I did it!"

Erina stared in embarrassment and confusion as she roughly pulled him back down by the ear. She whisper-yelled, "Idiot! Do you have no sense of decorum?! Do you realize where we are right now? Honestly, Yukihira, I'm surprised at your complete lack of-"

"That was my dish!" Soma cut her off excitedly. "I created the recipe during my Stagliare and Shinomiya-sensei said it was good enough to put on his menu! You just admitted my cooking is delicious!"

She stared in stunned silence. She felt her face grow red with anger. She stuttered heatedly, "N-no, I didn't!"

Soma taunted back, "Yes, you did! And you said it was delicious." His face was so close to hers; it reminded her of the first time she had tried his Transforming Furikake Gohan and how when she had opened her eyes, this infuriating ball of energy had been inches away from her face, mocking her.

Steam flew out of her ears at his vile trick. She exclaimed, "T-this doesn't count! This is only your recipe! You didn't make it yourself! The only reason this was good was because the chefs here are actually skilled. They could make trash taste good! I'm sure if you had made it, it would've been disgusting!"

The redhead immediately shot back with fiery determination, "Okay, throw that away then. I'm going to go make it for you!" He stood up with her plate in his hands to apparently go back towards the kitchen but Erina pulled him back down for the second time by the ear. "You dumbass, you can't just go back there and steal their kitchen! They're working!"

Soma pouted and growled in frustration; he was _this close!_ He sighed frustratedly, "One of these days, Nakiri. I'll get you."

She grinned at his sour face and replied victoriously, "Not a chance, Yukihira."

 _Phew, that was close._

* * *

After they had finished their food and most of the patrons had left, they went to pay their compliments to the chefs. Soma got a chance to catch up with his old master and Erina was fawned over by his sous-chefs.

They left the restaurant late, but luckily the streets were still warmly lit.

Soma asked, "So, any plans for tomorrow night?"

Erina nodded, "Chef Dojima is hosting his annual New Year's Eve party in our hotel."

Soma exclaimed in excitement, "No way? We got invited to that! My dad said it's like this huge party he throws every year for all these fancy people with all this amazing food!"

Erina nodded; she'd been to a couple of his parties in the past and they were always lavishly indulgent.

He admitted, "I wasn't planning on going though. I'm not really into those kinds of parties."

Erina felt her heart drop at this news; she was looking forward to having someone her age to hang out with. She never had anyone to talk to at these dull affairs. She chuckled dryly, "I wish I could just opt out of going. Everyone would be horrified if I skipped."

He winked, "I'll just sneak you out. Easy."

She giggled at the image of ninja Soma rappelling down the side of the hotel breaking her out. Erina sighed, "No, it's fine. All in a day's work for a Nakiri. What are you going to do instead?"

Soma shrugged, "Not sure yet. Maybe I'll find something to do around town."

She felt a pang of jealousy thinking of him by himself at some random soiree surrounded by Parisian girls. Talking to them, flirting with them, kissing them at midnight!

"You should really try to come to his party," she replied, trying to sound casual. "There will be a lot of our professors and potential future bosses there. Do you know how many people would kill for a chance to network with them?"

Soma nodded his head in understanding, "Yeah I get that, but I just want a break from all that, you know? Holidays are supposed to be fun, and my dad said these parties are anything but. Besides, you're the headmistress and I'm the first seat. I'm pretty sure we don't need to network as much as other people."

She couldn't deny it; chefs would undoubtably be fighting over them by the time they graduated. She sighed a little dejectedly, "Suit yourself."

Soma gave her a charming smile and said, "Don't tell me you're actually going to miss me?"

Erina let out the most absurd laugh she could muster, "As if! I just didn't want to suffer alone!"

He winked, "Sure, Nakiri. Whatever you say."

They finally arrived outside her hotel, and she began to call a car for him. He raised a hand to stop her, "No need. I'm like two blocks away. Pops and I are staying in an Airbnb."

They stood out in the cold for a few moments, neither one wanting to say goodbye quite yet. Soma shivered and rubbed his bare hands together, admitting, "You were right, I should've brought gloves."

She smiled at his confession and put her own warm hands in her pockets, swaying from side to side. She teased wickedly, "What was that? I was what?"

He smirked and rolled his eyes, "You were right. Happy now?"

She giggled, "Hm, I guess you shouldn't have made fun of me! I don't know about you but I'm pretty warm."

Something about the naughty gleam in her eyes and her playful grin made Soma take a step forward and plunge his hands into her pockets. He swiftly interlocked their fingers before she could pull them out and she squealed in surprise.

They stood chest to chest, and to his great surprise, she hadn't moved away. He feigned innocence, "What? You were bragging about how warm you were, and I just wanted to see for myself." He grinned at the pink blush on her face, only inches away from his own. If he wanted to, he could lean down and kiss her right now. Erina felt like her heart was literally about to burst out of her body as she stared in anticipation at his roguishly charming face.

His eyes traced over her features as if to memorize them, all the way from her cat-like eyes to her pink lips. He'd had such a great day with her. Exploring the city, talking, eating- everything was fun when it was with her.

His next words came out before he even realized, and he murmured, "Spend New Year's Eve with me."

She blushed at his candor but kept her eyes locked onto his. She whispered challengingly, "Come to the party."

He smirked at her boldness and sighed dramatically. Soma released her hands from his and pulled them out of her pockets.

"If that's what it takes to end this year on a good note…I'll see you tomorrow, Princess."

* * *

Erina had been right. For a teenager, Gin Dojima's annual New Year's Eve party was a rather dull affair. Important clients and chefs had gathered from all over the world and they were droning on about where they were going to open their next location or if they should incorporate a certain rare ingredient into their menu. Erina groaned and stole another glass of champagne off the nearest waiter's tray.

 _Where is that idiot?!_

Soma hadn't appeared yet, despite his comment the previous night. Erina grumbled with irritation. She was so bored! And he'd said he'd be here! She blushed thinking his confession to wanting to see her the previous night.

Last night after Soma had left, Erina had run up to her room and immediately called Hisako, who groggily picked up the phone at 7 AM. The blonde had spilled all the details, including everything that had happened on the plane ride and his unexpected arrival at her work. Hisako was the perfect audience, gasping and squealing at all the right moments. Erina had plopped down on her plush bed, wracking her brain, "What does it mean, Hisako?"

Her pink-haired best friend had laughed and asked, "What do you mean? It's obvious he likes you! Don't you like him?"

Erina groaned and hugged her pillow tighter, "But I don't want to! He's such a flirt, I bet he treats every girl like this! Apparently Ikumi even went to his hometown, so I wouldn't be surprised if this is the reason she's in love with him! Plus Megumi is his best friend and I just know there's something going on there!"

She pouted and rolled over to her side, adjusting the phone. "If he acts like this around everyone, and it always works, then I don't want to give in. I don't want to just be another notch on his belt. You know?"

Hisako sighed, "I understand your concern, Erina, but I really don't think you have anything to worry about. From what I've seen, he doesn't tease anyone else the way he teases you. But you're right, I wouldn't want to be another one of his 'groupies' either. I guess you have three options here. One, you can take the chance and tell him how you feel. He'll either reciprocate or he won't. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it though. Two, you can ignore your feelings even more than you already have and continue to slip into a state of denial so deep you wouldn't be able to claw your way out of."

Erina smirked, "Ooh, I pick that one."

Hisako smiled and continued, "Or, you can pick my personal favorite: special bonus option three. You can say 'Screw it, I'm in Paris with a hot guy I like, and what happens in Paris stays in Paris!'" She giggled as she imagined Erina's shocked expression.

Erina exclaimed wildly, "What do you mean?! I can't just… do whatever!"

Hisako laughed over the phone, "I don't mean that! I just mean don't worry about whether he's flirting with other girls or not; just focus on your relationship with him. You're amazing, and if he doesn't fall in love with you by the end of this trip, then he's even more of an idiot than we thought."

Erina absentmindedly twirled a piece of her hair through her fingers and sighed, "True. Maybe I will pick option three. Thanks, Hisako. This helped a lot."

Now that she was here at the party, she couldn't help but prickle in irritation that he wasn't here. Maybe he had just said that to mess with her and she'd believed him like a fool.

"Yo, Nakiri!" Soma's cheery voice lifted her out of her reverie and she turned her head in time to see him sauntering over. That usual greeting that had caused her so much anxiety and stress in the past now only brought her happiness, and she leapt up from her chair in excitement.

She met him halfway, and she watched his eyes skim over her body in her sequined cocktail dress. He sputtered out, "Nice dress. Very festive," and did his best to keep his eyes up. She smirked evilly, knowing fully well how incredible she looked. She gave him a once-over and commented, "You clean up well, I suppose."

He looked better than "well", but he didn't need to know that. His wild hair along with the little scar on his eyebrow paired oddly well with the nice suit he had on, giving him the airs of some dangerous sophisticate. He frowned, "I don't get why we had to dress up for this. This," he said while pointing at his suit, "is the whole reason we're late. My dad made me go shopping and all the stores were closed today. Took forever to find a place!"

She laughed, "You can't just wear your Yukihira shirt everywhere! It's good you had to invest in some new clothes." She grinned at his frowning face as she teasingly pulled at his suit. Just then, Soma's father came by.

Joichiro exclaimed happily, "There she is! Little Erina Nakiri! How's it going, kiddo? I've heard you've been keeping Soma out of trouble." She blushed at the appearance of her idol and greeted him warmly. "As much as I can anyway," she joked back.

Soma's father commented, "Soma told me you guys went exploring last night. I'm glad you're here to keep him company while I'm stuck at the restaurant. I was worried about this brat getting restless." He grinned at Soma's unamused expression and Erina laughed, "Yes, we walked around for a bit and went to visit Shino's."

Joichiro asked, "Are you gonna be free for the next few days? Or is your gramps making you slave away at the office with him?"

She replied dully, "The latter. Yesterday he let me leave earlier because _this one_ ," she pointed accusingly at Soma, "showed up out of the blue, but I think I'll be working until we leave."

Joichiro shook his head, "I'll have a talk with him! He shouldn't be making you work over your break." Before she could protest, he cut her off, "Honestly it's more for me than for you. Ever come home to a puppy you left inside all day? You'd be doing me a favor by taking him out once a day." Erina giggled at Soma's frown but said nothing. She supposed it wouldn't be so bad to spend some more time together during their break.

The three of them continued to talk warmly until someone pulled Joichiro away. He remarked before leaving, "Erina, come by our place sometime. Soma will cook for you, isn't that right, squirt?" He ruffled his son's hair playfully and strolled off. Erina giggled as she watched Soma rearrange his hair back into his usual organized chaos.

They wandered around the party together now, chatting with random people who approached them. After their third dry conversation with another investor, Soma downed his glass of champagne and leaned over to whisper to Erina. He moved her hair away from her ear, purposely letting his fingers brush over her skin. He whispered teasingly, "How could you make me come to this? It's so boring."

She felt her arms get goosebumps at his touch and she replied defensively, "I didn't make you come here."

He grinned and spoke in her ear once again, "You kinda did. How else was I supposed to see you?"

She felt a chill go down her spine and her heart rate quicken at his directness. How can this idiot say these things out loud?!

She twisted away from his reach and muttered, "I bet you say that to all the girls."

Soma cocked his head and gave her a confused look but said nothing.

* * *

An hour passed, and they were bored out of their minds. Soma had gone to the bathroom, leaving Erina to fend for herself for a few moments. As soon as he came back, he had their coats in hand, grabbed her by the elbow, and led her towards the entrance. She exclaimed panickedly, "What is going on?!"

He spoke rushed and looked her dead in the eyes, "There's no time. There's a party going on outside in the town square. If we leave right now, no one will see us escape, but we have to hurry!" He grabbed her hand and began walking out, but she pulled him back.

She warned him, "We can't just leave! People like your father and my grandfather will notice we're gone!" Soma groaned and rubbed his face with his hand, "But Nakiri, I'm dying here. I haven't been this bored since math class. Please!" He begged, clasping onto her hands as if his life depended on her. She giggled at his over-the-top antics and sighed, "Hold on…"

She glanced back towards the main ballroom. Her grandfather was thoroughly distracted by clients and so was Soma's father. She supposed it wouldn't hurt to slip out for a few minutes… She made up her mind and nodded her head in agreement, "Okay, we can go but we have to be back before midnight." Soma's face broke into a giant smile and he squeezed her hands tighter. "Let's go!"

The dance party outside was like a different world compared to the lifeless one inside. Parisians from around the city had dressed to the nines and gathered in the town square in front of the hotel. Dance music was blasting through the speakers they had set up and the center of the square was a giant dance hall now. The perimeter of the square had makeshift booths selling food and drinks. Soma grinned widely and cocked his head towards the dance floor, "Shall we?"

Erina hesitated for a split second before clearing her mind and grabbing his hand to pull him towards the center. _Screw it. If I'm going with option three, I'm going all out._

Soma's eyes widened in surprise, but he said nothing, letting her drag him behind her. They blended in with the crowd easily and danced happily with each other and the people around them. They cheered and laughed with everyone as the moves got sillier and people started challenging each other to dance fights. Soma had tried to push her into a dance circle and she had screamed with laughter, turning around to force him into the circle instead. He had merely held onto her as she giggled, burying her face into his shirt. She was starting to get tired from all the dancing and champagne. She clung to him helplessly and he wrapped his arms around her, swaying to the music now.

They must have stayed like that forever, because when Erina finally checked the time on her phone, it was 11:53! She shouted, "We have to go back! How were we out here for this long?!" Soma uttered a curse as he looked at the time and nodded in agreement. He clasped her hand and dragged her out of the crowd, both looking thoroughly disheveled. Soma burst out laughing at their messy looks, "They're totally going to think we hooked up in a broom closet or something."

Erina's jaw dropped as she stared at the redhead's sweaty face and wrinkled suit. She could only imagine how her hair and makeup looked now. She groaned, "Oh my god."

Suddenly, a group of teenagers cheered and whistled at Erina and Soma. They were pointing up, and when the pair glanced in that direction, they saw mistletoe hanging from the archway. Erina smiled and shook them off politely, but one of the teenagers said in French, "It is a New Year's tradition to kiss under the mistletoe! You have to!"

She spit back in perfect French, "You also used the guillotine until the 1970s! Not every tradition needs to be followed!" She dragged Soma away with her and he laughed, "What was that about?" But she didn't answer; she merely continued dragging him with her towards the main entrance of the hotel. They made it back just in time for the countdown, and she joined her grandfather while Soma went off to find his dad.

 ** _5…4…3…2…1…Happy New Year!_**

Streamers and party poppers went off celebrating the start of the new year. Erina found herself being kissed on the cheeks by Parisians and she froze uncomfortably being touched by so many strangers. Soma on the other hand fully embraced the French culture and merely chuckled as strangers kissed him on each cheek.

He watched Erina from across the room and smiled at her, wishing he could be there next to her. He purposely made his way across the room, celebrating with everyone in his path, until he finally stopped in front of her. "Happy New Year, Nakiri!"

He jokingly mimicked everyone else and kissed her cheek, but before he could kiss the other, she hit him forcefully across the arm. Soma winced and rubbed his arm, "Sorry! I was just trying to embrace the local culture."

Erina crossed her arms and muttered, "Serves you right," but the blush and slight upturn of her mouth gave her away.

After another half hour of mingling and celebrating, Erina yawned. She decided it was time to call it a night, and she said goodnight to her grandfather.

Senzaemon exclaimed, "Ah, you're going to bed so soon?"

His granddaughter nodded, and he mused, "I wonder if it was all the dancing?"

Erina froze-shit. He knew! Her grandfather laughed at her paralyzed face and said calmly, "It's fine, Erina. You deserve to have some fun for once."

She stuttered nervously, "S-so, you're not upset?"

He smiled serenely, "Not at all. Honestly, if I could have snuck out with you, I would have. These parties are such dull affairs, even for an old man like me. I'm glad you had a good night. Tell young Soma I say thank you."

She muttered, "I will. Thank you, grandfather,"

Erina found Soma and his father near the entrance and wished them a goodnight and a happy new year one final time heading back towards the elevators. Joichiro pushed his son towards her retreating figure, mouthing, "Go!"

Soma, startled from his dad's weird behavior, figured he wanted him to make sure she got to her floor alright? Odd, but okay. "Hey, hold up!" He stuck his hand in to make the doors open again and he stepped inside next to Erina. She asked anxiously, "What are you doing here?"

Soma shrugged, "I'm making sure you get home safely."

She laughed, "My home is literally upstairs. I'll be fine. Or do you think I'll be 'Taken'?"

Soma grinned back, "Listen, anything is possible. I just wanted to make sure your new year starts off right is all."

The elevator doors opened up to reveal her pristine apartment. She glanced hesitantly at him and muttered, "You can come in if you want."

Soma stepped out and sat down on her soft couch. "So… any New Year's resolutions?"

She sank into the couch next to him and sighed, "Not really. I don't believe in those. Everyone tries so hard to change for two months until they're back where they were before. What about you?"

Soma responded cockily, "Same as last year's. To make you say my food is delicious." He decided to leave out his second resolution for that year… She laughed and poked a finger in his chest playfully, "Please, just give up now, Yukihira. It didn't work last year, and it certainly won't work this year."

He ignored her, grinning smugly, "Nah, this is the year for sure. You just wait, you won't know what hit ya!"

Erina just flipped her hair over her shoulder and smirked, "In your dreams. The day I say your food is delicious will be the day I say New York is better than Paris." She recalled their earlier conversation where Soma wanted to open up his restaurant there.

Soma asked exasperatedly, "Why do you hate New York so much? It's full of art and culture and awesome food! I would think you'd like it!"

She didn't really mind New York so much as she didn't like the idea of him going so far away. She doubled down on her position though, complaining, "It's dirty and expensive and overrated! You'd be better off opening up your restaurant somewhere else."

He cocked an eyebrow, "Like where?"

She shrugged innocently, "I don't know… Like here?"

Soma asked, "Isn't Paris where you're opening up your restaurant?"

She mumbled, "Yes, but it's a big city. There's room for both of us. You can take the left bank and I'll take the right. Besides," she added more forcefully, "How are you going to just leave without getting my approval? It doesn't seem like you to just give up on your promise!" She crossed her arms angrily.

He laughed exasperatedly, "Last year, you literally tried to get me kicked out of the school and this year you're saying you want us to open up our restaurants in the same city. You're crazy, you know that right?"

She pretended to be offended by his words but her acting was getting worse and worse. She responded primly, "No, as headmistress I just want all my students to succeed. If you're here in the same city, I can keep an eye on you and make sure you don't sully Tōtsuki's name and reputation. When and IF I feel you're ready, you have my permission to open a second location in New York."

Soma chuckled but agreed nonetheless. "Fine, as long as we're not just 'headmistress and student', and we can keep hanging out as friends."

Erina blushed and nodded, "Deal."

He laughed internally at her stubbornness and remarked, "You know, for someone who likes this city so much, you sure don't embrace their culture."

She cocked an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

She could've sworn she saw a hint of pink on his cheeks as he replied awkwardly, "Nothing, just that France is a super touchy-feely country. I'm just surprised you'd want to live here."

All the PDA she had witnessed while being here did make her uncomfortable, but she muttered, "There's more to a place than that."

He continued, "Yeah that's true. I guess after that whole mistletoe thing it just made me think about how weird it was you wanted to live here. And you looked beyond uncomfortable downstairs with everyone hugging and kissing you once we counted down," he laughed heartily.

She defended herself insistently, "Well I'm not just going to kiss a bunch of strangers! That's insane!"

Soma laughed a little self-consciously, "I'm not a stranger though! You hit me when I kissed you on the cheek! I'm going to have a bruise there tomorrow." He rubbed the spot where she had hit him exaggeratedly and she covered her face in embarrassment. She laughed tiredly, "Sorry about that. I'm just not good with PDA. It makes me uncomfortable."

Soma couldn't help himself; this girl was too cute for him. He gently pulled her hand off her face and held it in his. Soma had to ask, "So wait, it was the people watching you that made you uncomfortable?"

Erina felt her breath hitch and her pulse began to rise. She answered nervously, "Um, I guess so." She could see where this was going, and she had no intention of stopping it.

Soma ran a hand over her soft cheek and felt a weight lifted off his chest. He had thought maybe she just really didn't like him. He gazed into her eyes purposefully and murmured, "So… you're not going to hit me this time?"

Her heart made a backflip as his words confirmed her theory and she stared blankly, unable to speak or move. Slowly, he leaned in, eyes fixed on her lips. Her whole body tensed in preparation. She instinctively closed her eyes, breath trembling, but he stopped a few hairs shy of her mouth and turned to softly kiss her cheek. He made his way to the other cheek, lips barely skimming hers, and he kissed it almost reverently. He smiled as she leaned her forehead to rest against his.

He murmured quietly against her lips, "Happy New Year, Nakiri."

She smiled, feeling his words vibrate against her lips. "Happy New Year, Yukihira."


	7. Valentine's Day

Winter break was finally over, and the students of Tōtsuki were slowly filtering back onto campus. Much to Erina's relief, Soma hadn't told anyone about the time they spent together in Paris. All they knew was that they had ended up on the same plane together on their way to Paris. She was relieved at his discretion, as she literally couldn't handle the interrogation she would have received from Alice and their friends if they knew they had spent New Year's Eve together…plus all the days following…

It wasn't her fault! Her grandfather had given her permission to forgo the meetings and explore the city, and she couldn't very well go alone! He just kept showing up at her door every morning and for some reason, she followed him everywhere-to the Eiffel Tower, across the Seine, to the golden palace of Versailles. They really did have an amazing time together, and Erina was falling more and more in love with that idiotic ball of energy.

Now that they were back at school though, things had to change. She couldn't be that silly infatuated schoolgirl she was over the break; here she had to be the headmistress. She couldn't allow her students to see her like that-giddy and airheaded just because of a boy. Erina was perfectly content with her new mantra: "What happens in Paris, stays in Paris", and she was determined not to allow their vacation together to change their relationship.

Soma, on the other hand, was more determined than ever to make his new year's resolution come true. He would make Erina Nakiri his girlfriend. He was almost certain she felt something for him, but honestly, he couldn't know for sure. Soma had never been good at picking up on signals from girls. Plus, she was always so mad at him—that couldn't be a good sign.

He found himself lost in his thoughts as he finally began unpacking his suitcase almost two months later in February. His eyes fell upon a fluffy white scarf and he smiled, picking it up gently. Erina must've left it at his apartment on their last day when they went to the Louvre.

Soma supposed he could just return it to her tomorrow in class, but she was really weird about stuff like that. She might get mad if he gave her back an article of clothing in front of others. Were all girls this weird or was it just Nakiri? He decided to play it safe and head over to her mansion to hand it over privately.

* * *

The guards let him through without a second thought, and Soma made his way through the complex maze of a mansion. Where is her room again? Now that he thought about it, he'd never actually seen Erina's room before.

"Yukihira! What a pleasant surprise!" Alice's chirpy voice sang out as she ran into him in the halls.

He sighed with relief, "Alice! Thank god, you have no idea how lost I was in here. Why do you guys need such a big mansion?!" The size of this place literally boggled his mind and he shook his head and clutched the scarf tighter, "I'm glad I ran into you! Can you show me where Nakiri's room is? I've got something of hers."

Alice's eyes glimmered with mischief. Now why would Yukihira have one of Erina's scarves? Did she leave it in his dorm? She cocked her head in the direction of her cousin's room and said, "Follow me!"

As she led him down the hallways, she asked innocently, "When did she leave this with you?"

Soma stuttered suspiciously, red in the face, "U-uhh, she must've left it at the dorm or something. The girls just found it."

The white-haired girl cocked an eyebrow in disbelief. She knew Erina had been whining that she thought she left it back in Paris, so how could the girls at Polar Star have found it? Something was fishy… Alice took a chance and claimed surreptitiously, "It's okay, Yukihira. Erina already told me everything."

The redhead stared at her in skepticism for a few seconds but her innocent puppy dog eyes were all it took. He finally laughed, "Oh, cool! I didn't think she'd told anyone! Well I'm pretty sure she forgot it on that day we went to the Louvre."

Alice's voice raised an octave as she asked nonchalantly, "The Louvre? Like the museum in Paris? That you both went to together? Right, of course." Jackpot! Her gamble paid off! So Yukihira and Erina had spent time together in Paris!

Soma nodded, "Yeah, she probably left it at my place. I didn't even notice I had it until just now when I was unpacking! I hope she's not too mad," he chuckled, totally unaware of Alice's stunned expression.

The girl simply nodded in mute understanding and stopped in front of her cousin's door. "I'm sure she'll be relieved to have it back. Well, here we are!" She motioned grandiosely to the door.

Soma smiled, "Thanks, Alice!

She smiled back cunningly, "Not a problem. Oh, and I'm glad to hear you two had such fun on your trip."

* * *

Soma knocked on the door and smiled brilliantly when Erina finally swung the door open.

"Yo! Good to see ya, Nakiri!" He leaned against her doorway casually, amused at her puzzled expression.

She hastily smoothed out her messy hair from hours of lying on the bed reading her romance manga and asked alarmedly, "What are you doing here, Yukihira? Shouldn't you be working on that paperwork I sent you for our next council meeting?"

He exclaimed, "That's not due for another week! C'mon, let me in. I come bearing gifts."

She frowned but stepped aside to let him pass.

He took in the sight of her room; it was very…pink. He handed her the scarf, saying, "I'm guessing you left this at my place back in Paris?"

She grabbed it from him and exclaimed, "I've been looking all over for this!"

He explained, "Sorry I didn't give it back sooner, but I literally just got around to unpacking."

She frowned, "Who unpacks more than a month after their trip? Regardless, thank you for returning it. Even if it is late," she stuck her tongue out playfully at him and he chuckled.

Soma said, "I would've just waited and brought it to class but I figured you'd be weird about me bringing it in front of people."

Erina wondered, _So he's not totally obtuse. I wonder if that's why he didn't tell anyone we hung out over the break? For my sake?_

She simply stated, "Thank you for your discretion. And yes, I would have been upset. I don't need anyone knowing about what we did-not that we DID anything! But you know!" Her face was flushed, and she broke into a sweat thinking of her classmates believing anything was going on between her and the first seat.

Soma laughed, "Not really? But whatever, princess. I live to serve." He winked at her, causing the familiar butterflies to pop up in her stomach.

He mused, "I'm surprised you told Alice, though. Did she find out somehow?"

Erina froze, "What do you mean? Alice doesn't know."

Soma started, "Yes, she does. I ran into her here and she told m-ohhhh."

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and avoided the girl's icy stare. "I think she might know now…"

The blonde screamed in frustration and rushed towards the door, but Soma grabbed her arm and pulled her back. He yelled, "So what if she knows we hung out? What's the big deal?!"

Erina blurted out, "She's going to think something's going on between us since we kept it a secret!"

He replied, "No, YOU kept it a secret! I just stayed silent because I figured you'd be pissed if I was the one who brought it up first, but then you never did! So, in a way, you're right, now it's weird that we never mentioned it! Why didn't you tell anyone?"

She stuttered, "I-I don't know… It's just suspicious that we hung out alone in the most romantic city in the world! I didn't want people to talk!"

He groaned, "It's not that weird! We're friends, right? Friends hang out. It's not our fault we happened to be in the same place over the break. It would've been weirder if we didn't hang out just because it happened to be Paris. You're overthinking this!"

Soma wondered nervously, _Does she really care that much? Is she embarrassed about being seen with me? Maybe I'm not making as much progress as I thought._

Erina looked like she was about to reply but stopped. Instead, she sighed and murmured ashamedly, "I suppose you aren't totally wrong… I'm sorry for making things uncomfortable for you. It was inappropriate."

Soma smiled and placed two hands gently on her arms, prompting her to look into his eyes. He offered, "No big deal, Nakiri. I get it. If you want, I can talk to Alice."

She muttered, "And say what?"

He grinned, "Duh, the truth. That you didn't want to say we were hanging out because… you were protecting my reputation."

She cocked an eyebrow at him and spat out incredulously, "What?"

He nodded seriously, "I know you were just trying to protect my bad boy reputation. I mean, if people found out I was hanging out with the Princess of Tōtsuki my image would be destroyed!"

She giggled and rolled her eyes, "Oh yeah? I hardly think you have that reputation around here. I think people mainly see you as the village idiot."

He looked shocked and exclaimed, "What? No way! I'm definitely the resident rebel here. Seriously, can you imagine if people found out that I let you have the last bite of those desserts we split? Or that I carried your shopping bags around the Champs-Elysees?" He gingerly tucked a piece of her hair back behind her ear, forcing her to blush furiously. He continued, "Nobody would take me seriously around here anymore." Soma leaned in and whispered in her ear, letting his warm breath graze her skin, "So, thanks for keeping my secret, Erina Nakiri."

She muttered a choked, "Dummy", under her breath but couldn't help but let a small smile slip. Soma always made her feel better.

He took his hands off her and slid them back into his jacket pockets, casually asking, "So where are we going next?"

The fleeting moment of calm left her, and Erina yelled anxiously, "Nowhere! Why would you think we'd repeat that?"

He smiled adorably, "Because it was fun. Didn't you have a good time?"

She crossed her arms defiantly, "That's irrelevant. Besides, because of you, I didn't get any work done over the break, which means my next vacations will be nonexistent! I have to catch up on all that work!"

He thought for a moment and said excitedly, "We could do a weekend trip! Something short! Come on, it would be fun! I could pack snacks for the road trip!" An ominous aura surrounded him as he started planning all the horrible food he could force upon her and she stuck out a hand, stopping him.

She stated, eyes shut, "Yukihira, if anyone is to bring the snacks, it will be me. You are forbidden from coming anywhere near me with your god-awful creations."

Soma shrugged, "Suit yourself. Okay, so you're bringing the snacks, it's settled. Where are we going?"

Erina shrieked, "Nowhere!", and stomped her foot into the ground forcefully.

Soma ignored her, "We could always go to my hometown… I could show you Yukihira! But nah, you probably wouldn't want to go there." He continued listing places she might be interested in but she interrupted him.

"Hold on-Why wouldn't I want to go to your hometown? Am I not good enough to visit?"

He laughed, "No, not at all! I just didn't think you'd be interested. It's just a small town."

She sniffed and mumbled, "I like small towns. Besides, you took Mito-san!"

The redhead smirked, "What, are you jealous?" His golden eyes gleamed with amusement watching the blush spread across her face.

Erina exploded, "No, don't be ridiculous! You can take whoever you want for all I care!"

Soma remarked offhandedly, "Ya know, that actually reminds me. Nikumi came up to me earlier this week and started talking about that dance that's coming up, but then she got all red and weird and ran away. I wonder what that was about."

The blonde gaped at him. Did he really not know how Ikumi felt about him? Okay, he really was that obtuse. And she was going to ask him to the dance?! The thought made Erina's stomach churn and her blood boiled.

As part of the Elite Ten, Alice had used her status to plan a Valentine's Day Dance for the whole school. The catch? Girls asked the boys. And the worst part was that as Headmistress, she was forced to attend!

Erina ran a hand through her long golden hair and muttered, "I hate this dance. It's a waste of our time. We should be focused on school and becoming the greatest chefs of this generation, not silly things like dances! Besides, it's completely inappropriate for girls to ask guys! It should be the other way around!"

Soma shrugged, "I think it's kinda cool the girls have to ask! Guys always have to make the first move." He had even been hoping that maybe Erina would ask him, but after hearing her views on dances, that was unlikely.

Erina looked down at her nails, pretending to examine them, mentioning frostily, "I noticed some first-years sticking notes in your locker. Did they ask you?"

He nodded, "Yeah, but I turned them down. They just want to be seen with the first seat, ya know? They don't actually want to go with me, Soma. But it's fine, I don't mind going stag. I'd rather go alone than go with someone I barely know. You planning on asking anyone?" Soma's pulse raced as he waited for her answer.

She hesitated, then shook her head, "Of course not. It would be unbecoming for the headmistress to show up with a student as a date."

Soma frowned, "You're a student too, though. I don't think it would be that weird. Besides, there's gotta be someone you wouldn't mind going with?" He couldn't help but be hopeful; there was no way this was one-sided. He knew she had to feel something for him. Their time together had been too amazing for it to be all in his head.

Erina's face turned as red as her crush's hair, and she lied, "The guys that have actually impressed me with their cooking haven't impressed me with their personalities, and the guys that have decent personalities haven't impressed me with their cooking. It's impossible to find a respectable suitor around here." She flipped her hair over her shoulder disdainfully.

Suddenly, Soma had a distant look in his eyes and murmured, "Oh my god…"

Alarmed, she asked, "What?"

He began talking to himself, "Of course! I was so focused on my other goal that I completely forgot about the first one…"

Erina snapped, "What are you talking about?!"

His promise to make Erina say his food was delicious! Soma had been so wrapped up in his second new year's resolution, he had lost sight of the reason they became friends in the first place. He still hadn't made her acknowledge him as a first-rate chef, so how in the world could she ever choose him to be a potential suitor?! He hadn't proved himself worthy yet!

He replied excitedly, "I get it now! How could I have been so stupid? Nakiri, my first promise to you has literally been my motivation ever since my first day at Tōtsuki!"

Erina frowned and exclaimed, "Obviously! But what does that have to do with this?"

Soma exclaimed, "I have to keep my promise before I move on to my other goals—it's the only way!"

His eyes gleamed with determination as he shot her a fierce smile and a thumbs up. "Once I do that, everything else will fall into place!"

Her frustration had reached its peak. Why wasn't this idiot listening to her?! And what was he saying? That once he got her to admit his food was delicious, he'd surpass her? Could she really be just another stepping stone to him?

She crossed her arms, seething, "So, all you want is my approval, and once you have that, you'll move on, just like that?! Well guess what, Yukihira, l will never say your food is delicious!"

Soma only chuckled and gave her a cocky smile, "Just you wait, Nakiri. I'm comin for ya!" He bounced out of the room, leaving her in a confused rage.

She screamed silently, _What just happened?!_

* * *

Over the course of the next week, Soma bombarded Erina with new recipes to try. Every dish left her in a state of delirious deliciousness, but her pride got the better of her and she refused to give him the satisfaction.

"Disgusting!" She'd cry out after putting her fork down on an empty plate. Soma wasn't deterred though; his cooking was only improving, and Erina's defenses were crumbling. The dance was in a week, and he was determined to get her to admit his cooking was good by then! It was the only way for her to view him as a serious candidate.

After a particularly busy day of experimenting in the dorm kitchen, Soma received an unexpected text, breaking him out of his cooking trance.

* * *

Soma ran into Erina as he was turning the corner at school.

She fell to the floor, and as soon as she saw him, she barked, "Watch where you're going!"

He laughed and helped her up, commenting, "Wow, I just got a serious case of déjà vu. Remember the last time I accidentally ran into you at the training camp? It feels like so long ago. You hated me so much."

She smirked, "The word 'hated' would imply that feeling was in the past tense."

Soma smiled back cheekily, "Come on, Nakiri, you know you love me now."

She blushed and grumbled, "In your dreams."

It was frustrating how even after he had all but admitted she was just a stepping stone, her heart still ached for him. She couldn't deny the intense feeling of excitement she felt whenever she saw him or heard his voice down the hallway. Every time he teased her, she wanted to fall back into their familiar pattern of jesting and flirting like they had before.

She hastily shook those dangerous thoughts from her mind. How stupid of her to continue falling for a guy who didn't see her that way. Erina asked, "What are you doing here after hours?"

Soma replied, "Alice texted me and asked me to meet her here for something. She said it was an emergency."

Erina froze. "She told me the same thing."

They both looked at each other in fear; Alice was the master of terrifying plans.

"Oh, there you two are!"

"Ahh!" Soma and Erina both jumped at the sound of the aforementioned girl's voice, staring at her in terror.

She ignored them, clapping her hands excitedly, "Thanks for coming! I desperately need your help with something!" Before they could respond, she grabbed them by the wrists and dragged them into the nearest classroom.

"What the hell…" Soma muttered as he stared into the room. Inside were an anxious-looking Megumi and Takumi next to a giant game board with lights around the words "Cooking up Love!", while on the other side were Hisako and Akira, who were just looking mildly irritated.

Alice giggled at their stunned faces and explained, "So, you guys know I'm in charge of this year's Valentines dance! I thought it would be fun if we did one of those newlywed challenge games at the dance, like who knows their partner the best! But I need help working out the kinks! That's why you two are here; I need you to pretend to be a couple just for right now to help me with the game!"

Erina sputtered, "What? No way! I am not pretending to date him!" at the exact moment Soma laughed, "Sure! It'll be fun!"

They stared at each other in surprise and Alice took advantage of this moment of uncertainty to drag them behind the third desk. Erina started to protest but Alice hummed over her loudly, signaling the start of the game.

Soma leaned over and whispered, "What's the matter, Nakiri? Scared we'll lose?"

 _No,_ she thought worriedly, _I'm scared we'll win._

She yelled over Alice, ignoring Soma's taunt, "Megumi, switch with me!"

The blue-haired girl squeaked at being addressed so forcefully and stared in confusion at everyone. She answered timidly, "W-why? I think you'll do fine with Soma-kun!"

Erina moved past her desk and rushed over to their desk across the room. She responded hastily, "You and Yukihira know each other much better than we do. Besides, Takumi and I are old friends."

Takumi stared blankly, "We are?"

She growled to both of them, "Yes! Now go over there, you don't want to keep your sweet faux-boyfriend waiting!"

Megumi hesitantly left her desk to go join a very exasperated-looking Soma at his desk. He cocked an eyebrow in her direction as if to ask, Really? but Erina avoided his gaze and nodded towards Alice, "Continue."

Alice glared and asked sarcastically, "Oh can I? Thank you, cousin. Now then, the rules are simple. I am going to ask you all a series of questions, giving you one minute to write down your answer on a whiteboard while thinking of your partner's answer. After the time is up, we'll go around and see how many people know their partners as well as they think they do! The couple with the most points will win a free dinner or something; I haven't settled on a prize yet. So, without further ado, let's begin!"

Alice used her hands to create a drumroll and announced in her best game show host voice, "It's time to see which of these couples is Cooking up Love! Let's start with quest- Hey!" Alice turned to face Soma and Megumi who had their heads bent over and were discussing something excitedly in hushed voices.

She exclaimed, "Are you guys cheating?! You can't discuss your answers!"

Soma's head popped up and he grinned, "How could we be cheating if we don't even know the questions yet?"

Erina's hands gripped the edge of the desk so hard her knuckles were white. How dare he flirt so blatantly with some other girl in front of her?! After everything they'd been through! Ugh! She was right not to give in to him! Her resolve to never give him the satisfaction of knowing he was a good chef strengthened in that very moment.

Alice narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the pair but said nothing, choosing to continue on with the game. "As I was saying, let's start with question 1! Ladies and gentlemen, which person, dead or alive, would your partner love to have dinner with?" She let the clock tick down while everyone pondered their answers and wrote on their whiteboards. After the minute was up, she pointed dramatically at Hisako and Akira. "We'll start with this lovely couple and work our way around the room. Alrighty, Hayama, please answer for us: which person, dead or alive, would Hishoko love to have dinner with?"

Akira thought for a moment and stated coolly, "Since Arato doesn't value anyone higher than Nakiri in the cooking world and she can have dinner with her anytime, probably someone that has to do with medicinal properties. Maybe someone like the inventor of medicine?"

Hisako's jaw dropped as she lifted her white board to reveal "Hippocrates" on her board, nodding in awe. Alice whooped, "I think that counts! Nice one! You guys get a point! Hishoko, who would Hayama want to have dinner with?"

Hisako shrugged and said, "The only person I think Hayama really cares for is Jun?"

The slight smirk on his face gave him away and he lifted up his board. "Jun."

Alice cheered, "Two for two! Awesome, guys! Let's move on to the next group, Yukihira and Megumi! Yukihira, who would Megumi like to have dinner with?"

Soma answered almost immediately, "Her mom."

Megumi lifted her board to reveal "My mom" with a little heart and Alice clapped appreciatively, "Whoa, we've got an impressive set of guys here!" She added a point to their group, and asked Megumi the same question.

Erina instinctively thought, His mother. Megumi responded the same way, "His mom."

Soma's laughed cheerily, and he smiled, flipping his board over to reveal that both girls were right.

He teased, "Am I that predictable?"

Alice moved on to Erina and Takumi. Unfortunately, Takumi didn't know Erina very well as they almost never hung out or spoke to each other. The most he knew about her was what he had learned on the train during the Regiment de Cuisine. He took a shot in the dark and said, "Yukihira's dad?" Alice giggled and Erina blushed at the mention of her idol, but she shook her head. She raised her whiteboard to reveal the words "My mother".

Alice stopped giggling immediately and shot Erina a sympathetic smile, rushing through the question, "Ooh, sorry. That's okay though, because we have a few more rounds to make up those points!" Erina also missed the question, completely blanking on who Takumi would choose. She knew absolutely nothing about him. This was a total mistake.

"Round two!" Alice announced. "Favorite drink in cold weather!"

Akira and Hisako both got points, citing the others favorite herbal teas. 4 points for them!

When Alice asked Soma, he answered confidently, "Hot chocolate, 3 mini marshmallows, dollop of whipped cream." Erina stared perplexedly at him. That was her favorite drink. Megumi lifted up her board to reveal "Green tea" and she shrugged apologetically. He laughed, "Aw man, you win some, you lose some!"

After Megumi guessed his favorite drink correctly, they had a total of 3 points. Alice moved on to Erina and Takumi. Takumi guessed once again, "Hot chocolate?" He thought he had seen her drink it once?

She slowly revealed her answer to the group. Everyone except Soma looked shocked to see her board showed, "Hot chocolate, 3 mini marshmallows, whipped cream." That answer sounded familiar… Erina dared to look at Soma, and she found him staring back at her with a sly smile on his face. His golden eyes bored into hers and she looked away, unable to fight the blush creeping onto her cheeks.

During the next round, Alice asked, "Where would your partner want to go on their next vacation?"

Hayama and Hisako both missed this time, guessing incorrectly, only to reveal that they both wanted to go to the same place: Greece.

Soma once again stated confidently, "Argentina. She wants to see if the steak there is really as good as everyone says it is."

Erina couldn't help but gasp, completely stunned, as he threw back her statement word for word. She had told him this during their dinner at Shino's.

Megumi giggled and lifted her board to reveal "Hawaii". The navy-haired girl knew his answer though. Erina silently said the answer along with Megumi at the same time: New York. He lifted his board to reveal a crudely drawn Statue of Liberty and nodded, smiling back.

When the time came for Erina to reveal her answer, the group had caught on to what was happening. Alice's jaw dropped when she saw "Argentina" printed on the board, and Hisako was practically swooning over her best friend being courted from afar. Alice crooned, "My, my…" but said nothing and continued tallying on the board. Erina guessed Italy for Takumi, earning her another point.

They went on to play a few more rounds, with the questions ranging from factual to behavioral. Soma continued to state his answers assuredly, never earning a point as he apparently wasn't playing for his partner but guessing every one of Erina's answers correctly. The cocky redhead smiled at the blonde every time she revealed her matching answer and she rolled her eyes in response. Why was he doing this?! Didn't he know how this looked in front of all their friends?

Finally, when the game came to a close, Alice summed the points and announced the winners to be Hisako and Akira. She grinned, "Congratulations, lovebirds! As a special thank you for helping me with this, you'll be treated to a romantic dinner for two at the restaurant of your choice!"

They glanced at each other awkwardly and rushed off, postponing the weird conversation for another day. Before Takumi could leave as well, Erina caught him.

"I'm sorry for causing that weird situation, Takumi. I shouldn't have gotten you involved, and it was very inappropriate of me to drag you into this."

Takumi smiled kindly in response, "Don't worry about it. I know you and Yukihira have always had a tense relationship, to say the least." He laughed at her embarrassed face and assured her it was fine. He continued, "But this just shows how much we still don't know about each other! I hope we can become better friends!" She nodded excitedly, glad he had already forgiven her for acting so disgracefully.

Speaking of disgraceful…

Erina gave Megumi a polite smile as she passed and waited until everyone had left the classroom before resolutely hitting Soma on the arm. She cried, "What is wrong with you?! What kind of game are you playing here?!"

He groaned and rubbed his arm in response, "Stop hitting me whenever you're mad!"

She ignored him, yelling, "How could you do that in front of all our friends?! How could you do that to Megumi?"

He defended himself, "She knew about the plan! She thought it was a funny idea!"

She berated him nonetheless, "Whatever! Now everyone's going to think something's going on between us!"

He cocked an eyebrow, "Not necessarily! Hisako and Hayama knew a ton about each other too and no one's accusing them of dating. We know they're just friends!"

She began to protest but weakened; he had a point. Erina crossed her arms defensively, "It was still embarrassing! You think you know me so well, don't you?"

He grinned back, "Kinda. C'mon Nakiri, I know we would've crushed that game if we'd played together. Why didn't you want to play with me?"

She stared at her feet and grumbled, "We're not a couple."

Soma tried to ignore the pain in his heart as he watched her walk away. _Not yet, Nakiri. Just you wait. I'll prove I'm worthy to be by your side._

* * *

The day of the Valentine's Day dance had arrived, and Soma hadn't been able to get Erina to admit she liked his cooking. He felt broken. He'd really wanted to fulfill his promise to her by the time the dance rolled around so he could prove he was worthy of her! But he'd failed once again, and now she would never want to be his girlfriend. However, he still had one last resort…

Soma found Akira Hayama in his usual hangout, the Shiomi Seminar. He called out to him cheerfully, breaking the tan boy's concentration.

Soma wrung his hands together nervously, "Yo, Hayama! Sorry to interrupt but I kinda had a question for you! Uh, do you remember in the Autumn Elections when the judges picked your dish over mine and Kurokiba's because they could tell you made it for someone?"

Akira nodded, recalling how his devotion to Jun had shown through his dish and resonated with the judges. Soma continued hesitantly, "How did you do that?"

The spice master smirked-Yukihira was finally figuring out the secret to being a great chef. He replied, "Are you trying to make something for Nakiri?"

Soma's face turned as red as his hair and he exclaimed quickly, "No! What? Are you—what?"

Seeing Akira's disbelieving face, Soma dropped the act and sighed, "Okay, is it that obvious?"

Akira shrugged, "It is to me. But not everyone else pays attention like I do. Yukihira, the way to show your love through a dish isn't by constantly forcing them to try your stuff and trying to prove them wrong. Nakiri is a very proud person and she'll never fall for those tricks."

Soma groaned and ran his hands through his spiky hair, "Believe me, I know. I've tried for almost two years now. So, what do I do? How do I make a dish that'll finally make her admit my cooking is delicious?"

The white-haired boy sighed, "At the risk of getting too sappy, all you have to do is cook with that person in mind. Not about how much you want to impress them or beat them, but just how you feel about them. Your emotions will show through your cooking. If you feel strongly towards her, your food will do all the talking. At least that's what happens when I cook. But we all know, I'm better than you."

Soma growled, "You wanna go, Hayama?!" He instinctively reached for his white bandana and Hayama stopped him, "I don't have time to school you right now, Yukihira. I've gotta pick up Arato for the dance."

Soma's mouth fell open, "You and Hishoko? Who would've thought!"

Akira smirked to himself, "We found out we had a lot in common during Alice's dumb game. She asked me to accompany her shortly after." He smiled thinking of how fond he'd become of the pink-haired girl. "Good luck with Nakiri. Just let your cooking speak for itself."

* * *

Hours later at the Valentine's Day dance, Erina sat at the table, scratching away at the pink tablecloth absentmindedly. She watched bitterly as dozens of couples swayed on the dance floor, entranced in the other's eyes. Romantic music filled the air, red tinsel was strewn across the ballroom, and shiny pink hearts covered the walls. It all made her want to gag.

In the end, she hadn't asked anyone to be her date for the dance. Every day when Soma came to present his latest dish, she tried to work up the courage to ask him, but she couldn't do it. It was too humiliating. So now, here she was alone again because of her pride. She knew her hubris was going to be her downfall, yet she couldn't fight it. Erina had resigned herself long ago to the fact that she was destined to be at the top, but alone.

Her eyes scanned the floor through the pink and white balloons for the boy she longed for, but he wasn't there. Instead, red eyes met hers, and Alice sat down in the chair next to Erina's.

The blonde inquired dryly, "Where's Kurokiba?"

Alice giggled, "Getting us drinks! I've got to hand it to him, he really has been the perfect date all evening."

Erina smirked, "Did you set this whole 'girls asking boys' thing up to ensure you would have him as a date?"

Her cousin exclaimed, "No, don't be ridiculous! Besides, I wouldn't need to do that. As my aide, Ryo is instructed to serve me at all times, so even if boys asked girls, he would still have to ask! I just thought it would be more fun this way!"

Erina shook her head but said nothing. Alice noticed the cold expression and poked her finger into Erina's cheek playfully, "Why so glum? The dance is a hit! Don't tell me otherwise!"

Erina rolled her eyes, "The dance is fine, Alice. Everyone looks like they're having a good time."

Alice quipped, "Everyone except you. What's wrong?"

The headmistress snapped, "Nothing's wrong. I just have better things to do than babysit a bunch of hormonal teenagers at a dance."

Alice smirked, "Are you upset you don't have a date? Any boy here would have said yes if you'd asked!"

Erina sighed, "I don't want just 'any boy', Alice! I want-" She gripped the hem of her pink dress and bit her lip. She couldn't say it. She would never say it.

Alice put a soothing hand on her cousin's shoulder, offering, "I know. But on the bright side, he's not here with anyone else either."

Erina glanced back up towards the dance floor, hoping for a sight of his wild red hair. She countered glumly, "He might be on a date with someone. After all, it's Valentine's Day."

Alice shook her head, confused, "No, he's in the kitchen!"

Erina's head snapped up to meet her cousin's gaze, "What? Why is he there?!"

The white-haired girl shrugged, "He said he wanted to make the snacks for the party, so I let him. He seemed really adamant about it." Ryo had come back with two drinks in his hand, and Alice leaned in and spoke hurriedly, "You still have a chance to turn this around! Don't let your story end this way!"

She stood up, smoothed out her red dress, and took her date's arm. As they walked back towards the dance floor, she called out over her shoulder, "You can do it, Erina!"

* * *

Erina pushed past the kitchen doors, slowly poking her head in. "Y-Yukihira?"

She found him mixing batter in a metal bowl while simultaneously shutting the oven door behind him with his foot. His bandana clad head popped up and a bright smile graced his face when he saw her. He called out, "Nakiri! I'm so glad you're here!"

Her heart fluttered at his words and she smiled softly, "What are you doing here? Why aren't you enjoying the dance with the rest of your classmates?"

Soma shrugged, "It didn't feel right. I couldn't stop thinking about my promise to you."

Erina muttered cynically, "So now you can't even have fun because of me?"

He cocked his head to the side in question, "What? No, this past week has been so fun! You know how much I love it when you challenge me!"

She sighed with relief and giggled quietly, "I know; it's infuriating. No matter how much I discouraged you in the past, you kept treating it like a personal invitation to keep going." Erina leaned against the kitchen counter, watching him arrange a small plate with an assortment of delicious-looking snacks.

He laughed, "I can't help it. Messing with you and cooking are my two greatest passions. But I think it's time to bury the hatchet between us, don't ya think?"

Erina scoffed, "You want me to lie and say your food is delicious just so you can feel good about yourself? I will not be used as a 'stepping stone', so if you think-"

Soma cut her off, "Whoa, stepping stone? You? Nakiri, what are you talking about?"

She spat out, "I know you think I'm standing in the way of your other goals, like opening up your restaurants and earning your Michelin stars! You just want my stamp of approval like everyone else so you can move on and surpass me! Well let me tell you, it's not happening!"

He blinked wordlessly for a few moments before bursting out laughing. "You thought-oh my god, what? You thought those were the goals I was talking about?"

She shouted, "What was I supposed to think? You were ignoring me during that very one-sided conversation!"

Soma grinned and approached her with the prepared plate in hand. He passed it to her and she took it with trembling hands. He ran a hand through his hair apprehensively and the blush on his face was evident. Why was he so nervous all of a sudden? He could literally feel his heart beating through his chest! How was it that he could enter an arena with absolutely no plan and still crush his competition with thousands of people betting against him, but he couldn't confess his feelings to a girl?!

He laughed nervously, "Sorry, I guess I didn't explain very well back there. Let me start over. You see, when I first started at Tōtsuki, all I wanted was for you to acknowledge me as a chef, so I could move on and go back to running Yukihira. You were the only person who had ever rejected my cooking, and it drove me crazy. I would get your approval if it killed me."

She smirked, remembering how dejected he had looked when she had lied and told him his food was disgusting at the entrance exam.

He continued, "That promise to you made me a better chef in every way. Working so hard towards making you like my food made me push myself past my limits, and even though you hated me, I never felt anything but admiration towards you. I knew if I could get you to admit my food was delicious, it would mean I had finally made it.

That was all it was in the beginning. It was like I had tunnel vision and I could only see that finish line at the end. But somehow this past year through all our Shokugekis and competitions and conversations, you showed me there's a lot more that I want-stuff I didn't even dream was possible, and it's all because of you."

Erina's breath hitched; where was he going with this? Was he really saying what she thought he was saying?

Soma pushed on, "But I guess somewhere along the line, I pushed my first promise to you to the back of my mind. And when you reminded me that you still hadn't said my food was delicious, I felt ashamed. Like I hadn't earned the right to even think of those other plans. So that was why I wanted to fulfill my promise to you."

She murmured, "Yukihira..."

Soma's next words tumbled out, "What I'm trying to say is, after chasing after your approval for the past two years, I finally figured out what the secret is to being a great chef."

She whispered, heart pounding, "What's that?"

He said simply, "Meeting a woman that will make you want to give all the food you make to her. I found that in you from the first day we met," he admitted. He took a shaky breath and confessed, "Nakiri, I… I'm in love with you."

* * *

Erina froze. Her whole body tensed and her brain glitched. Did she hear that right? She shook her head as if to jog it back into working order and asked, "What?"

His face was bright red and he laughed uncomfortably, "And those other goals I was talking about? I was referring to all the stuff you made me realize I wanted with you: dating, opening our restaurants together, being partners. But how could I even think of asking you to be my girlfriend when you hadn't even acknowledged me as a chef? I had to get your approval first in order to prove that I'm worthy enough to be seen by your side."

Erina's knees felt weak and she slid down to the floor with the plate of food in her lap. Her head was spinning at the confession.

Soma sat down next to her and took her hand in his. He murmured, "It's okay if you don't feel the same way. I just needed you to hear it. I wanted you to understand why I'm working so hard towards making you like my food."

She nodded absentmindedly, peering down at her plate. The assortment really did look delicious. With trembling fingers, she picked up the crab cake with garlic aioli. She took a bite.

 _Someone knocked on the door, and Erina called out from behind her desk, "Come in." Soma strolled in with a bag in his hand, dropping the take-out on her desk. He asked, "Ready for a break?"_

 _She groaned with relief, "Yes! I'm starving. Thanks for the food." They dug into their Thai takeout and Erina sighed in contentment. Erina commented, "I can't believe we're graduating tomorrow."_

 _Soma smiled excitedly, "I know! These three years have really flown by. I'm gonna miss these guys."_

 _"It's not like you won't still see them from time to time."_

 _He replied, "Yeah, but it's not the same. Living with people really turns them into your family. I'm gonna miss those crazy guys. Besides, once we're in Paris, it's gonna be hard to find the time to fly all the way back."_

 _She nodded, "That's true. But don't worry, our first restaurant will be a total success and then we can come back and open our second and third locations wherever we want."_

 _He smiled, "I can't wait," and kissed her softly on the lips._

Erina gasped at the vivid dream; she opened her eyes and saw that she was back in the kitchen with Soma. She gently touched her lips, as if searching for a trace of the kiss. She glanced towards the redhead next to her who was staring at her expectantly. She picked up the mini empanada and hesitantly took a new bite.

 _Hisako couldn't help but tear up at the beautiful vision in front of her. Erina sniffed, "I forbid you to cry! If you cry, then I'll start crying!"_

 _The pink-haired girl wiped her tears away and forced herself to breathe. She nodded, "I'm sorry, Erina! I'm just so happy for you! I've been waiting for this day since we were kids!"_

 _The girl in white laughed and agreed, "I know. It's crazy to think how it all happened this way. Who would've thought I'd end up with him?"_

 _Hisako snorted, "Everyone."_

 _Erina gasped and threw a fluffy pillow at her best friend, who merely giggled in retaliation. She added, "Seriously though, you two are perfect together. I really couldn't be more happy for you."_

 _Just then, the door opened and Alice appeared, wearing a matching lilac dress like Hisako's. She squealed, "The guys are all ready! Not to be crude, but our men look hot!"_

 _She poured champagne into three flutes and passed them around. "Soma's not even nervous. He told me he's just excited to get out there." She smiled at the blush spreading across Erina's cheeks. "Let's toast to a happy marriage for Erina and Soma!"_

 _The three girls giggled and clinked their glasses together, "Cheers!"_

Erina's eyes flew open once again and blushed at her daydream. They felt so real! What was this food doing to her?!

Soma started, "Nakiri-" but she cut him off, "Hush," and she took a new bite of the mini red velvet cake.

 _"Look what I found!" Soma announced, holding a Fischer-Price easy bake oven. "How cute is this?!"_

 _Erina giggled, "Very cute. Now stop playing with toys and help me finish setting this crib up."_

 _He frowned and put down the toy, walking over to the middle of the nursery. "You did all this while I was at the store? Damn, I forgot how capable my wife is." He winked at her, and she found that even after all these years, she still couldn't help but blush._

 _She smirked, "Well, someone has to be the responsible one here."_

 _He grinned, "Thank god for that. You're totally in charge of keeping this one alive, got that?" He carefully rubbed Erina's pregnant belly, laughing at her unamused expression._

 _She reprimanded him, "Soma Yukihira, if you think for one second you're leaving me to be the bad guy while you get to be the fun parent-"_

 _Soma laughed, "Erina, chill! I'll be a good dad, I swear! This kid's gonna be the luckiest in the whole world."_

 _The blonde giggled, "And why's that?"_

 _He responded as if it were obvious, "Because he has you as a mom."_

Erina's eyes popped open and her hand flew to her flat stomach in shock.

She mumbled, "What did you do to this food?"

He looked at her anxiously, "Nothing weird, I swear! Hayama just told me I had to cook with my heart or some shit, so I tried to do that instead of just wanting to impress you."

He cooked with his heart. It was like his food had made all her secret desires that had slept within her come awake. Erina murmured distractedly, "…so, you really love me."

Soma nodded, "Yeah, I really do."

Erina lowered the plate onto the ground and pulled her knees into her chest. She had a big decision to make. She could be prideful once again and lie. She would retain all the power in their relationship and she would never fear getting hurt by him.

Or…for once in her life, she could drop the act. She could admit his food was delicious and that she felt the same way he did. That she wanted all the same things he did. She'd lose the power, but she'd gain something else. Love. Someone who knew her and understood the good and bad things about her, and still loved her regardless. Wasn't that what she'd always wanted growing up? Someone to love her unconditionally? Not because of her unique gift, but because of her?

After a moment of tense silence, Soma said quietly, "Listen, like I said before, I don't need you to say it back or whatever. I just want you to be honest with me and yourself for once. Was this delicious?"

His golden eyes searched hers for any sign of a clue as to which way she was leaning, but her impassive face revealed nothing. She shifted back onto her knees and faced the boy who loved her so dearly. She gently lifted a hand and ran it through his wild red hair, using the other to trace the little scar on his eyebrow she found herself so partial to.

Now it was Soma's turn to be frozen, and he couldn't move a muscle. He watched Erina lean in slowly and he closed his eyes when her lips brushed his. She kissed him cautiously, as if testing the waters, before wrapping her arms around his neck and melting deeper into his embrace. In turn, he wrapped one hand around her waist and the other around her neck as he kissed her hungrily in return. Erina moaned softly when she felt his hands tangle themselves in her hair, and every place his fingers traced over her back was electric. She felt like she was flying-invincible-like nothing and no one would ever be as alive as she was at this very moment in time. This was love.

Erina pulled away breathlessly and stared into Soma's golden eyes. She finally allowed herself to utter the one word the boy had been dying to hear since the day they had met.

"Delicious."


End file.
